A Tale of Two Worlds
by HeartlessNeoshadow
Summary: A dark castle is residing in the Digital World, posing a threat so powerful that not even the Royal Knights can successfully destroy it. It is something that has never been defeated, nor is it known what it exactly is. Because of this, one final option is left for the Royal Knights, one that will change everything for the Digital World. Romance, action, and suspense abound.
1. The Dark Castle

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Digimon. Digimon is copyrighted to Namco Bandai. All I own are the original characters and the original Digimon (if I make any).

* * *

**The Dark Castle**

A gust of wind blew through the trees under the dark clouds. Only the faintest ray of light was able to penetrate through, but it was all that was needed to illuminate the growing army that was approaching the tall castle in the distance. It was an army of Digimon, creatures made out of data that were trudging towards their enemy, ready to fight. Their eyes glistened under the rays, and their pupils were locked on to the building. They had no intention of losing.

Flying above them was a white-armored knight with a metallic dinosaur head and a wolf's head at the ends of its arms. Its red and white cape flapped behind it, and the Digimon threw its left arm forward, watching as a long blade protruded from it.

"Approach the target with ease," commanded Omegamon. "We must not disturb whatever lies within! We've lost countless forces to this menace, and the same mistake must not be repeated!"

The army cheered in response, and pushed its way through the forest between them and the castle. Flyers from behind the knight flew ahead of him, and in the process, another armored Digimon flew by his side and hovered next to him. It was Magnamon, a blue humanoid dragon covered in gold armor that only managed to stand up to its companion's shoulder. She was the group's strategist, the one who organized the current attack and was Omegamon's right-hand soldier. They were among the higher ranks of the Royal Knights, a group that was put together to maintain the peace in the Digital World, and among all the members of the group, they were the closest to each other.

"Everything looks to be going as planned," Magnamon's metallic voice confirmed.

"Agreed," Omega muttered, narrowing his eyes at the castle in the distance. "It's a grave situation, but we should be able to put an end to it NOW!"

"So what do you say? Should we remain in the background for now?"

"Only until a larger threat appears. They will need our commanding aid. If the entity itself comes out, then you and I know what to do."

Magnamon looked at the castle and chuckled to herself. She was ready for action, yet also scared of it. They were about to approach a force that wielded enough power to singlehandedly kill any Digimon. Many megas had been lost to it, but now that they were coming in with numbers, the two Royal Knights were confident about the mission. They kept themselves poised, waiting for the violence to commence. However, they also glued their eyes to the castle, prepared for anything to go wrong.

"And how exactly will you and I go about that? We might not even be strong enough."

"We may not be, but there are no other options at this point."

"And we couldn't have brought along the other Royal Knights?"

It was true: among the thirteen of them, they were the only ones who knew about the mission. The others had been left out for reasons Omegamon had chosen to leave unexplained, and now that the mission had began, Magnamon was tensed, sending the body signals to him that she was demanding his response.

"No. As a matter of fact, this mission is to remain as classified as possible. They do not even have all the information we have regarding our enemy, and if they did, they would approach it incompetently. We must be the ones to handle this, even without Yggdrasil's guidance."

"So being a rebel, are we?"

"To an extent…yes."

Magnamon chuckled again, but kept her eyes on the castle ahead.

"I am loving every bit of it."

The army closed in on the towers ahead. There was nothing else between them, nothing that could get in the way of their growing anger. The trees were falling as they moved forward, and all of the plants gave in to the tension that was growing between them and the castle. Nothing was going to stop them from obtaining the revenge they were after. Nothing.

The castle itself, reaching above the clouds, remained undisturbed. It was the house for an individual, a being that sat within its inner chambers, resting on a throne as it knelt its head on its hand and allowed its long, black hair to fall down.

It was a human, one who remained motionless until its eyes shot open, revealing one to be blue and the other, green. It reverberated in its seat, sensing the presence of something coming. It was usual for it to be interrupted by a small oncoming force, but this one was larger. This one sent a wave of emotions through it.

This one posed a threat to him.

"Why…" the human stuttered, slowly chattering his teeth. "Why…why do they come? Why do they torture me…"

Meanwhile, the Digimon were continuing their forward push, picking up the speed as they came closer. They were going against Omegamon's orders, but at the closer sight of their target, they were careless. Some of them were licking their lips at the idea of destroying the castle. It was at this point that Omegamon and Magnamon had decided to fly in, hoping to take control of their army before it went crazy. To them, the mission was crucial, and they couldn't afford to lose due to an unorganized taskforce. The losses would be in the thousands, and once they themselves were close to it, they paused, noticing the black aura that was beginning to emanate from the dark structure. It gradually drew everyone's attention, but by the time it did, the aura had only become bigger.

"What is this?" Magnamon gestured to her partner, who was equally surprised by the display in front of him. They had heard stories of the power within the castle, but that was all. They had never actually seen it for themselves, and the sight of it growing was enough to scare some of the Digimon away.

"I…am not…sure…"

As they continued to stare, the human who was inside stood up from his throne, allowing his pale face and black leather clothing to shine under the faint light that was penetrating through the windows above. His blue and green eyes looked up to the sky, and his arms were extended out. His trembling never stopped, and the same aura began to hover around him, while crawling through the castle's inner workings until they reached the outside. He knew it was time for a ritual, and he laughed maniacally because of it.

"This," he muttered, looking at both of his hands as darkness poured out of them. "This is why they fear me. Because I am trapped. Because I am alone. Because I am all-powerful…"

He shot both of his hands in front of him, grimacing as he felt waves of darkness covering him and gathering up in his palms.

"…Because I hate EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM FOR WHAT THEY'VE DONE TO ME!"

Then a single blast that filled up the hallway in front of him flowed out, traveling all throughout the castle until all of its doors and windows bursted. Omega and Magna were the first to sense the incoming danger, and as soon as they did, they acknowledged each other and ordered for the entire army to retreat. However, none of them listened. They were already lost in a frenzy.

"I said EVERYBODY RETREAT," the white knight demanded, yelling as loud as he could to everyone around him. Magnamon echoed him, with both of them continuously calling out as they flew in the other direction. Some of them eventually complied, but most of them stayed where they were, intent on fighting their foe. "YOU FOOLS!"

Waves of thick darkness began flying all throughout the surrounding forest, rushing through all the Digimon that stood in their way and effectively turning them back into Digi-eggs. The scene quickly developed into one of deaths and screams, even as the blasts attempted to cover them up and spread out to chase those who were escaping. Much of the remains of the forest were being demolished, and before long, the waves grew and eventually developed into one mass that was rapidly expanding around the castle, resembling an explosion. Several of the Digimon at the frontlines were now running in the opposite direction, but none of those who finally realized the situation they were trapped in made it out. All that was left was the two Royal Knights and those who had already decided to leave before the order was given, many of which were taking off into the distance.

"Are you okay, Omega?" the golden dragon asked, attempting just as hard as him to escape from the still growing aura behind them. For a long time, he was speechless, trying to comprehend the event that was shappening. What was it that they were truly up against?

"I'm fine," he grumpily responded.

"Not so. In fact, this is something that the rest of the order will NEED to know about if this entity possesses this kind of power."

"No, it mustn't."

"And why do you insist on secrecy?! They will be angry once they hear about the inevitable word that will spread, and even moreso at you."

"I know they will, but they still must not know."

"Omega!"

The two of them continued flying away by themselves into the nearby mountains. At that point, the expansion had stopped, retaining its dark glow until it began to shrink and retreat inwards. At every spot that it unveiled, all that was left was barren land, with the trees forming a large circle around the castle in the center. The sphere returned to waves that were hovering around, all of which pulled back into the doors and windows as the entrances and sills repaired themselves and were tightly shut locked. The only remaining traces of the initial blast dissipated inside, leaving the human to scowl at the thin air around him as he felt the energy returning to him. He was only able to maintain the expression until a pain surged through him, which abruptly forced him to fall to his knees as he grumbled and propped his hands on the floor.

"What am I…doing?" he asked, staring at the floor while allowing drops of sweat to hit the ground. "Why…Why am I never…free of this pain? Why have I been cursed?!"

His deep voice echoed throughout the castle, as did the sounds of him pounding the surface with his fists. He was strong enough to where indentations were left where his fists hit. More of his sweat dripped, and the sounds of it accompanied his cries. The man was alone, leaving him to sulk as he pondered on about what he had done. He no longer had anyone who could help him, and all the Digimon in the world were out to kill him. He looked around the room, the only peace he could sense being the solitude around him. He was surrounded by his own self-made prison, and it angered him more than ever.

"WHY?!" his voice shot through the air around him. It was audible even outside the castle, reaching beyond and to the two Royal Knights who found refuge in a small cave within the mountainside. They looked out towards the source of the noise with cold eyes, recalling the fates of those who had been lost to it.

"So what do you plan to do next?" the golden dragon pushed on Omega. "We've seen that we need help, because you and I cannot muster up enough to combat whatever that creature is that's inside! Confidential information is not an option!"

"Silence," Omegamon declared, shooting a glare at her as he startled the Royal Knight. "You know too little to be sharing anything about this."

"I know too little? Have you forgotten who your tactician is? If I know too little, then I must know more! In fact, you've even been keeping secrets from me…"

The irritated Digimon trudged up to the towering Omega, meeting his glare and staring into him with her own piercing look.

"…haven't you?" she ended. Omegamon grumbled, feeling cornered as he was up against the wall. While she was not as powerful as him, her intellect was what made her a strong asset to the team. She was needed for interrogation and strategic purposes, and the taller knight was not prepared to be her subject. He was shocked, feeling pushed up against.

"Not necessarily," he calmly responded, maintaining his stature. "You, of all Digimon, should know that I do not break a shared trust."

"Yet you're doing it now. Do not play stupid with me Omega, because I know you. Your words and attitude do not match."

The white knight grumbled again, this time looking away from his companion. He moved to the side, away from the light, and gently shoved Magnamon as he slowly walked away. Magna was quick to regain her balance, and kept watching as Omega disappeared. She was tempted to follow, but her past experiences had taught her that when he sought darkness, he wasn't going to talk. Instead, she narrowed her red eyes, planning where the two of them would meet next, and trying to decipher what was on his mind. Then he replied back to her interrogation.

"We need to carry out the Digidestined plan."

Magnamon shifted her entire body to facing the somber Digimon. His words had struck through her like a spear.

"What?!"

Omega stopped in his tracks and twisted his head, giving her the cold shoulder.

"They are our only hope…especially one of them in particular."

"You are not serious, Omega! You've been waiting to carry that out all along?"

"I've been considering it. Our recent failure has now made it my desire. That is all."

And the knight was now gone, leaving Magna by herself as she dwelled on the plan and kicked the dirt around. She called out to Omega a second time, breaking the rule she had initially set, but this time, there was no response. She realized that he was not willing to work with her now at all.

"The Digidestined…" she muttered, looking at her own claw and retracting it. "Why would we bring humans into this world? We've never done so before… What else does he know?"

She looked back at the darkness where the order's leader resided, and then leaned against the cave's walls. The dragon kept grumbling to herself as the sky grew darker. She pondered over what Omegamon had shared, and kept going over the consequences of it. She thought about how if they were going to combat an unknown force, they would need to bring in an unknown force of their own, but what would a team of humans and Digimon be able to offer? She never found the answer, and only grew even more determined to confront Omegamon about it immediately for a third time. However, she also knew that his choice was likely final, and that persuading him out of it would be beyond her abilities.

'_But what if there is even more to extract from him? Hmmmm… I must learn.'_

Knowing that her companion would eventually come out later in the day, she decided to wait near the cave's entrance, where fresh air was blowing in. She would decide to wait until she could get the chance to learn what it was she wanted to know. The dragon looked out at the faint traces of light, telling herself that there was more to the situation than what was meeting her eye, and that many things were going to happen to the Digital World.

Many things.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Before I go any further with this, I would like to point out that these Royal Knights are AUs. This is not a continuity in any way, shape, or form. Thank you.


	2. A Chosen Few

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Digimon. Digimon is copyrighted to Namco Bandai. All I own are the original characters and the original Digimon (if I make any).

* * *

**The Friendship Arc**

**A Chosen Few  
**

The birds whistled as the Sun shone through the wooden curtains, penetrating the bedroom and highlighting the closet on the other side and the bunk bed beside the window. Inside, nothing made a sound, except for the rustling of a short brown-haired teenager in his bed, even as his cell phone's alarm clock went off.

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

"Urgh…" grumbled the teenager as he continued to twist and turn. The last thing he wanted to do was get up. "It's Monday, isn't it? Damn it, man…"

So he swung over and grabbed the phone and tapped the touchscreen on it before it clicked and the noise stopped. He looked over at his windows with the light pressing against his face, his eyes fluttering as they adjusted, and he groaned even louder as he thought about the day ahead.

'_Staying up 'til two in the morning really did me in.'_

The teen dropped his phone on the floor and lazily sat up, picking it up again and looking at his dirty reflection in it. His hair was unkempt, and dark bags laid under his eyes. He knew he was a mess, especially once his sister threw open the door and threw off his concentration. He looked at where she stood and shook his head, with her beginning to pant.

"James, you're late for school again," cried the blonde. Her hair was long, matching the look with her long black skirt and her white shirt. She was tall and distressed, hoping with meager blue eyes that her brother would listen to her.

"I know, I know," James grumbled, putting his phone down and standing up from his bed. "I'll throw on my clothes and I'll be out. Jeez, can't you guys just get used to this?"

"Get used to this? Mom and Dad hold me responsible for everything, and you know how they are about this."

"Oh God, it's my Senior year. Can't I just relax?"

"Tell them, and hurry! I gotta get going for my job interview!"

"Okay, okay! Like I said, I'm getting on it," he muttered, standing himself up.

"Good!"

Then the door slammed shut, and James shook his head again, looking at the door. They shared a love-hate relationship as they helped each other out before cursing during the next five minutes. It was the typical series of interactions between siblings, except that even their parents commented on how intense it could get. They would often times leave to their rooms in a fit right before they would have to work together. It was a vicious cycle that showed remnants of itself as they approached adulthood, and they were both beginning to find it exciting that they were about to move out.

'_Some people,'_ he thought. _'At least Jessica isn't like that. At least, I hope not.'_

His grey pajamas flew off, and a red designer T-shirt and black skinny jeans went on. He went into the bathroom to straighten his hair and brush his teeth, and within five minutes, he was ready for the day. He grabbed his black backpack out of his room and his keys on the front door table, and he was gone. He yelled goodbye to his sister without waiting for her response and slammed the door, walking towards his school coolly where he was excited to meet his friends.

But he was late for class.

* * *

The dark clouds still remained in the sky, with Magnamon watching them. None of the scenery had changed, much to her discontent. She looked towards the skies, hoping there would be something that would relieve her boredom while she waited for Omegamon to come out. She was still displeased with his attitude, and kept trying to figure out a reason for his decision. All she could do was shuffle in her spot.

Eventually, the white knight came out from the darkness with a calm swing to his walk. His expression hadn't changed, not even when the golden dragon returned him her same harsh stare.

"Perhaps now you have some sensibilities?" Magna asked.

"We must head back so that we may carry out our plan."

"I only suspected as much."

"It will make more sense once when I show you everything."

Magna looked away from him again as she shook her head. She then restlessly pushed herself up and faced him once again with less antagonism before. Omega recognized the expression and nodded in his own displeasure as he looked at it. With their brief silence, he could sense that he had left her discouraged in him.

"As the one who is closest to you, I trust that your decision is somehow right." The white knight walked past her and towards the cave's entrance.

"There is no need to worry. Let us go. The area is clear for the moment."

The dragon turned around as she stood next to the taller Royal Knight again. She stared at him doubtfully, and then they both reached the edge of the exit before they jumped off into the skies and hovered around the top of the mountains, flying away. The two of them were left alone and kept flying until they could see light piercing through the clouds. They further they traveled, the more it stood out to them, and eventually, the blue sky became clear.

"So what more can you tell me?" Magna demanded, looking at the knight who seemed oblivious to her. "Or what more can't you tell me? Can I not be surprised before we get there?"

"We will be sending Digimon into the human world," he responded. Magna rolled her eyes, facing the lands in front of her again. She knew hearing more from him would bug her, but she attempted to put up with it, asking further.

"I should have guessed that much as wel. Do we at least know which ones?"

"Dodomon must go. The others I have not decided." And she was shocked again.

"Dodomon?!" she yelled, hoping he would explain. "You trust that mon to get the job done?!"

"He was hand-picked by Yggdrassil."

"And so there ARE others who know about this!"

"Not necessarily. Yggdrassil has found Dodomon to be disposable and unwilling to adapt to our circumstances. However, the X-Antibody within him proves the he will be a formidable force under the right care, which we cannot seem to provide, and only something else will."

"I see." She continued listening with a slimmer of distrust. "And who might be willing to join him? He is, after all, unstable."

"A wise Digimon that is close enough to him in age, among others. From there, they can form relations that will make it easier for them to bond, and the humans will have an easier time adapting to them."

"Uhuh. And who is this wise Digimon?"

Omegamon chuckled.

"I shall not answer since I do not know if she will comply, and spreading information such as this when she has not agreed to anything could easily create trouble."

"So I am not trusted?"

"I have told you more than enough. It is what it is."

"Grrr…"

Her frustration only grew, but she kept it as hidden as best as she could by saying nothing more for the rest of the trip. Her claws were clenched, but Omega didn't see them. She had given up as they flew the rest of the way, knowing that he wasn't going to tell her everything she wanted to know. Unlike what she had wanted, he was going to keep it a surprise.

* * *

In the distance among the hills, the large public school became visible. It was a large campus that was relatively unoccupied due to the class hours having already started. Only a few students were around as James entered its perimeters and passed them by, walking as quickly as he could towards his class without making a scene where everyone would notice him. He was one of the school's more popular kids, one of the star athletes on the Track Team, and one of the people who could easily draw attention to himself unintentionally. Because of this, he wanted to keep a low profile.

'_Guess today's just gonna be normal. No craziness or anything,' _he mentally addressed, watching the other late kids as they paid him no attention. _'I hope it stays this way. I'm already tired as I am.'_

The teen passed by the school's library and made it up to the building with his first class. He stopped for a moment with his backpack slung over one shoulder while he anticipated what his teacher would say and what the rest of the classroom's impressions would be as soon as he walked in. He sighed as he recalled it would be his tenth time in a row that he would be late, thinking about the lecture he would be given afterwards. He didn't want to hear it, but then he continued on, realizing it would be inevitable.

'_And here comes a detention that will just make me late for practice.'_

He trudged walked up the stairs in the empty hallways to the second floor, then made a left turn towards his classroom where he would rest his hand on the knob before twisting it. He took a peek inside through the door's window to see if he could figure out what was going on and how many people would notice him. He would be coming in from the room's side, and everyone's attention was directed towards the front. He kept peering in, waiting for the right moment.

James pushed his hand down and leaned into the door as lightly as he could. The warm air from inside hit him like a gust, welcoming him as some heads instantly turned his way. He did his best to dodge them by slightly kneeling and grinned sheepishly. He cringed from the attention, even though he was also relieved to have so few people looking at him. However, one of the faces caught his attention: the face of a young Hispanic girl with straight hair.

'_Of course she would notice me,'_ he cursed. Then he maneuvered as quietly as he could over to her and took a seat in the desk a few rows in next to her.

"Babe, what's been the matter lately?" the girl asked, resting her head on her hand and leaning against the wall.

"'Really been havin' issues with my alarm clock and procrastination," he answered, looking back into her brown eyes. She maintained her harsh gaze, and he smiled again, dropping his backpack down to the ground and stuffing it under his desk.

"The semester's almost done, though, and everything you're doing gets reported."

"I know, Jessica, I know, I'm working on all of it! It's just…hard to adjust."

The late teen switched his attention from his girlfriend to his teacher, who, while giving her lecture, held her own stare on the boy. He did his best not to notice and clasped his hands together on the desk. He was ready to learn, with a feigned bright smile on his face.

* * *

The two Royal Knights returned to their base, with several golden glowing fragments of data hovering around them in its inner workings as they moved through it. They had passed by the other members of the order while they were on their way, and all they exchanged was a passing glance without making a sound. It was typical for them to remain quiet around one another as they were far from social. Their roles required them to maintain everything under jurisdictions while spending as little casual time around each other as possible. They essentially went days without talking, unless one of them called for a meeting.

Omegamon halted himself and Magnamon suddenly, then chanted an incantation that opened up a portal to another room with several incubators housing small Baby-level Digimon. The two of them flew through it, and Magna was in awe with the sight. It was a place she had never known existed, trying to figure out what everything around her was. She was speechless to have found out something that was kept such a tight secret from her and the rest.

"This was here all along?" the dragon asked, allowing her feet to touch the metal ground as the portal behind them closed. It was a large aisle with the incubators on the side. She followed her companion down it until he stopped at one in particular.

"As I was sure this plan would come into use sooner or later, we gathered a collection of new-borns and have fostered them for this purpose."

Magna shot her eyes towards him as she heard his previous words.

"As if they were an experiment?!" she demanded. "Do you have any idea what this violates?!"

"Again, Yggdrassil was involved, so things shall be fine. However, I am still debating the fate of this one right here…"

Magnamon switched her narrow stare from looking at him to the Digimon inside the tube. It was a small purple cat's head with a tuft of white fur surrounding its mouth and its eyes closed. It hovered inside without noticing its spectators. At the sight of it, she felt the same confusion as her companion, trying to piece the things together.

"It is said that he would grow into something great," Omegamon continued. "Perhaps that is why he is trusted with this mission."

"The one who is rumored to grow into one of us…"

"Yes. Because of that, it is starting to make sense…"

Meanwhile, as they continued to look at the Dodomon, the sound of soft footsteps came up from behind both of them. Magnamon swung around to see who it was to avoid being surprised, while Omegamon just stood still.

"So you're going to go through with it?" asked a deep sultry voice. The Digimon who joined them became visible and presented itself as a yellow humanoid fox with a white stomach. Omega nodded in response, while Magna looked at them confusedly.

"You are the only one among us who has gone to the human world and returned many times, Renamon," the knight replied. "With that, I trust that you and these few can meet with who they must meet. This one here in particular has a specific human that he must befriend."

"Is this the 'wise' Digimon you were discussing?" Magna pressed, interrupting their conversation and indirectly harping on the knight again.

"Yes, it is. I couldn't pick anyone better due to her talent at disguise and stealth."

Then Omega himself turned around, his blue eyes meeting the fox's. She stared back with even deeper pupils than his, and it almost became a contest.

"This time around," he ordered, "I will need you to actually stay there and find a partner of your own. I do not expect any reports from you for a long while, and I trust in you to do this. Without supervision, I do not want to think of what trouble these young ones can cause. They possess great powers in and of themselves, yet since they are not grown, they could easily misuse them. You must make sure that they can all get along well, but leave it to their humans to ultimately tame them. The other details, you may form as you see fit."

Renamon closed her eyes and leaned against the metal wall, nodding her head.

"I understand. However, I must ask you something…"

"Go on."

"Why are we sending these Digimon out there? I know that one of them is special, but even under my watch, how do we know that they will be stable? Why not send a group that is more experienced?"

"It is because of the humans that they will acquaint with. The most important one is part of a strong solution to our problem, and he himself is young. I know this because I once knew someone who was close to him…"

The tall knight drifted off into thought as the golden armored dragon next to him noticed this and was quick to address it.

"You've traveled to the human world before?" Magna queried, looking into Omega's face. He ignored her.

"…and Dodomon would work well with him, being deemed by Yggdrassil as a Digimon that will grow into a rebel. Because of these things, the other Digimon are of the same age and will have no problem acquainting with each other as they need to in order for this to work, and even with those close to who I am referring to." Renamon laughed.

"So you still think about that boy?"

"I am one of few Digimon to have ever seen a human child. In addition, like I said, he himself will be a huge contribution to the source of the on-going destruction. I could sense it when I approached that castle, assuming that whoever is in there is who I think it is."

"I see. Old memories are resurfacing then."

"Many. Though he may have changed since then, I do remember his name and what he looked like, but I do not know if I have told you before."

"Even more secrets, Omega?" the dragon jumped in again.

"Nothing major," he dismissed. Magna sighed.

"You have told me many times," Renamon addressed, standing herself up to full height. "With that then, I suppose you wish for me to take my leave."

"If you did, it would set in motion all the events that need to take place. Again, I am trusting you."

"Hmph. Then so be it," the fox mumbled. "Once I have re-energized myself, I will take my leave. I hope to be back within half of the next Digital year."

"As do I. Now go!"

The fox's body vanished into the air and darkness of parts of the room, leaving the two Royal Knights by themselves once again.

"I can still trust that you won't share any of this, right?" Omegamon questioned, staring back at Dodomon but calling for the attention Magnamon. The Digimon caught on and responded.

"It's confidential. After all, talking about this with anyone would only frustrate me even more, Omega."

"I am sure. Let us go, then, before anyone starts to speculate about where we are."

The two of them went back the way they came and stood in front of another portal. Omega was the first to jump through, and Magna was about to follow him until she took one last glance at the sleeping Dodomon. It was hard for her to believe that something such as it had potential. Myths had been forming around it, many of which were scaring her. If things went wrong with it, then _things went wrong_. Because of that, she mulled over whether she trusted the idea of the Digidestined before Omega urged her again to follow him out. She did as she was told and flew out of the room, still thinking about the possibilities that lied ahead…

…and whether they would help out everyone, or cause more problems.

* * *

The school bell rang, and kids shot out of their classrooms by the dozens. It was morning, and the last thing they each wanted to do was stay in their classes. They wanted freedom, and they were all heading outside the buildings and towards the school's quad area and te other outdoor spots. The cliques were forming together, gossiping about who was doing what and ignoring those who couldn't fit in. They were picky with loud voices as their way of identifying who they were. They didn't let those they didn't like join their groups. It was as divided as the average high school campus could be, leaving several of the kids to be alone by themselves. Some of them were okay with this, while others were bullied and hated it. It left some seeking for more, but two of them preferred to stick together by themselves for this day: James and Jessica.

"James," she muttered, holding her boyfriend's hand as the two of them walked together down a downward slope, "what's really been up?"

"Huh?" he mumbled as two kids who were chasing each other ran past him. "What do you mean? Everything's pretty much been fine."

"Not really." Jessica stopped walking, forcing him to stop as well, and turned to look into his eyes. "You seem really…stressed."

James stopped any remainder of his movement and faced his girlfriend whom, by the blank expression he saw, he could tell that she was displeased. He rolled his eyes as he knew this was usual of her to do a few times per month, but after having dealt with his sister, he just wanted peace around himself. It wasn't happening.

"There's just been some small problems all around, all of which are just…minor."

"Minor enough to be creating issues at school?"

"I…guess. I haven't been giving it all that much thought, though, lately. I'm just tryna to enjoy my last year here as best I can without worrying over so many things."

"James!"

"What?"

The boy retracted and let go of her to protect himself. He had done so many times in self-defense, and Jessica sighed once she noticed this, looking away from him for a moment.

"Sorry about that," she apologized. "It's just that…we've been together for four years, and this is the second to last semester that we'll ever even be at this school. We don't really know what we're gonna do afterwards, and we might not even be together anymore! We should be planning something and pulling everything together just so we can actually go somewhere. But you, you're just…"

James came closer to the girl again, putting his hand on her shoulder as his way of trying to calm her down.

"…you've been falling off."

"Look, I'm _sorry_ about being late all these times."

"And usually when you have a problem like this, there's something going wrong. I know you, babe, trust me."

Jessica looked back at her boyfriend, and his face eventually dropped, telling her that she was right. Whenever he did so after sounding confident, it meant something was stuck in his mind, and it was harsh. He swallowed his breath as he had trouble bringing himself to it, but then he eventually spat it out.

"It's just…you know about my brother, right?" Jessica looked at him curiously.

"Yeah. You've always told me all about how you always miss him. Wait! Isn't today the…"

"Not exactly today, but we lost him about five years ago. I haven't seen him since, and that's what's been on my mind. It's kinda why I've been procrastinating so many things since I can't concentrate. I mean, at least we get this next week off for Thanksgiving break so I can have some time to clear my mind. No fuck ups here at school or anything…"

"Yeah, that's true. You'll be able to rest some, since you also look tired. Gee, sorry for bringing this up…"

"Nah, it's fine," James reassured, raising his expression back up with a faint smile as he looked at his girlfriend again. "At least now since you're pushing it, I might be able to get over myself a bit quicker."

"Maybe. Just…I don't know what I can do to help."

"Just be with me in the meantime. I think that'll help get my mind off some of these things. And hey, we can study together! Isn't that something you've been tryna get us to do for a while?"

"Mhm. That's because I've been having problems with my grades. It's also kind of why I'm concerned about you: I'm concerned about myself."

"Well let's not sweat it, Jess. Hey, come on, let's just go over to the library! Like you said, I'm tired, and all this noise is giving me a headache. Plus, I don't think my teammates should see me like this."

For once, Jessica smiled back and slowly held on to his other hand. They were a couple that saw each other as the other's solution, and they were still determined to keep things between them strong. Because of this, they both decided to move along and kept walking downhill together where they walked into the school's library, finding the peace and quiet they wanted at a vacant table. There were still whispers going around with multiple people making comments about the two of them as they walked in. Some found the couple to be 'cute,' while others gossiped and spread word about them to others. James was a sports team player, while Jessica used to be considered one of the 'goths,' the group that most did their best to stay away from. Even after four years and having had multiple students graduate while new freshmen came in, people still judged them and made them the center of attention.

The two of them took a seat at their table and pulled out their textbooks from their backpacks. The books hit the table, and the bags hit the ground. It was just the two of them and their work, with various people still trying to get a glimpse of them.

"Do we always gotta be watched?" James murmured, looking around at the onlookers and scaring some of them away.

"I don't know. I've had to stop being with some of my friends since they would always question me about you."

"They would? About what?"

"I'd rather not think about them at the moment. Especially since some of them are here."

James looked at where Jessica's eyes suggestively pointed and watched as two girls who were occupied with holding their own books walked their way before he looked away. Jessica did the same, and they whipped out a pen and paper and started writing down things as their way of appearing busy. The short-haired orange one, however, separated from her friend and walked over to them, then right by them as she gave them a quick up-close glance. Jessica didn't react, but she did notice her presence and grumbled as soon as they were left alone.

"We just don't catch a break," the boy commented, continuing to scribble things down.

"Grrrr… Why is she so nosy?!"

"God knows, but she seems scary. Creeperish."

"We used to be amazing friends, but now she never gives me any space. She criticizes everything I do! Even my makeup! Urgh…"

"Babe, just calm down. It's not that important, and we're in a library."

"I know, I'm sorry again. Just some people-"

Then the same girl popped up instantly beside their table and scared them with a 'BOO!' Both of them were startled, but it was Jessica who jumped in her seat. Afterwards, she remained still. Completely still, while the girl started to go off on a tangent.

"Hey, Jessica, how are ya doing?!" she asked loudly, re-centering the attention of everyone in the library on them. Jessica was still silent. "You knoooowwwww…me and my friends were just talking about you! We were saying it would be great if you could join us at the party tonight! It's for celebrating my birthday, and I hadn't invited you yet, nor have I hung out with you in a long time! So are ya doing anything tonight?"

Jessica was hesitant, and James watched her. For a few seconds, she didn't respond, sending eye signals to her boyfriend describing her irritation. After she finished her exchange, she replied, "You know we're in a library, right?"

"Oh I know! Psssssst, sorry… It's just that I have to get around here quick since I have others to invite, and I'm so excited! Really, it's gonna be the best day of my life!"

"Just…whisper, please. Me and my boyfriend are trying to study."

"Your boyfriend?" the girl looked around confusedly. It was then that she noticed James, even though he was hiding himself behind his science book. "Oh yeah, you have a boyfriend! Ohhhhhhhh, maybe HE WANTS TO COME AS WELL! Really, there aren't many guys coming, so we could use you!"

At this, Jessica dropped what she was holding and looked straight into the girl's eyes, raising her voice to say, "Jaime, he's my boyfriend! And besides, we're busy tonight!"

"You're busy?" she asked in a surprised tone. "Oh, then what are you guys doing! Perhaps we could-"

The older librarian came up to Jaime and tapped her on her shoulder to ask her to lower her voice. There was whispering in her ear, and then she acknowledged the request, allowing the old woman to leave her. It caused her to look sheepishly at the couple in front of her, with her textbooks being held at her waist.

"No, we can't," Jessica answered before Jaime could continue, "we've got a test coming up, and he and I are gonna be studying for it."

"Ohhhhhhh, okay. Well, you guys are gonna be missing out! You wanna plan something for another day then?"

"Maybe, but I won't know for a while. There's even more tests we gotta prepare for, like the Finals. Really, we'd rather be alone for the moment."

"Okay… Gosh, you're no fun! It's been all about grades for you. Seriously, this is our Senior year! Can't we just-"

"No!"

This time, Jaime's face boiled without screaming. She felt insulted, and Jessica didn't respond. Her mouth opened rapidly and was quick to let off at the smaller girl.

"Fine then! If you'd rather not be one of us cool girls, then so be it! You always ignore us when we try to be your friends, like you don't even care anymore! If that's how you want to be, bye!"

The enraged girl then stormed off with everyone except for Jessica staring at her along the way. She was known as the school's biggest gossiper with a reputation that had only grown worse. Only a collect few had grown to like her, and the fact that Jessica had ever been friends with her stirred up conversation among the campus's smaller groups, and even chatter with James as he looked at his girlfriend. They were left alone again, save for the occasional glances from the other students.

"Why is she even like that?" he asked, lowering his head to help keep his volume down.

"She started being that way once she talked about how a guy she once liked many years ago left out of nowhere," she replied, still staring at the departing girl. "She said he saved her from death and being robbed more than once. Ever since then, she's only gotten worse, and I've always wanted to help her. Nothing's been working, though – she's only been getting pickier overall."

"I can see that…" James looked around himself for Jaime to make sure she wouldn't sneak up on them again. He was afraid that she had heard their comments and would criticize them even further. However, his eyes went wide as he thought more about what Jessica had told him about her behavior. To him, it became a shock. "Wait, the guy she liked disappeared several years ago and saved her multiple times? That almost sounds like…"

"I was afraid you'd say that." She returned herself to paying attention to him and picked up her pen again. "She would never tell me what he looked like, though, since she always seemed so out of it whenever the idea of him came up."

"It's still strange though…" the boy mumbled as his eyes raced across his textbooks and the table. "Do you at least remember when she said he disappeared?"

"Something like five years ago. Gee, thinking about it, I've been growing up around some…depressed people."

"Five years ago? Yeah, that's about when… Wow. It's a bit too much of a coincidence."

"Babe…" Jessica groaned, bringing her hand up to her forehead. "Some of us die every day, you know?"

"Yeah, but…"

James shook his head wildly and refocused his attention on his surroundings. Jessica glimpsed at him before looking down again.

"Gagh, like you said, I probably just need some rest. I'm tryna connect all these dots and come to nothing. I just…need to stop thinking about him so much after all this time."

"Mhm. Sorry, but it's kind of stressful over here as well. I think I could even use my own rest…"

"Yeah… Too bad this isn't lunch. Then I could make up for some of my hours."

"Yeah…" Then the tired girl slumped and allowed her face to hit her books. "Love you, boo… We'll make it through… God, now I'm being like you."

"Haha," James chuckled as he exhaustedly stared at his girlfriend. "That can't be that bad, can it?"

"You don't even know."

"I bet I do. In fact-"

This time, it was he who got cutoff, though not by someone else. He was about to continue until he saw a small purple object heading down one of the aisles. He peered over Jessica's shoulders as best as he could, almost straining himself in the process. However, the object had disappeared, and Jessica noticed his immediate silence and raised her head to look up at him in confusion.

"In fact what?" she questioned. She watched him tiredly as he watched something beyond her. He didn't budge until he stood up to get a better look, making her twist around so she could see what he was looking for. "Uhhhhh, James? What's up?"

"I thought I saw something. Something that looked really weird." Jessica rolled her eyes and reversed herself again, her head hitting the table.

"Like we both know, we're both tired. Let's just give it a break."

Then the school bell sounded again, and everyone started packing up their things and getting up before pushing in their chairs. The sound snapped both of them out of their dazes, but James still stared while remaining in a trance. Even as he tried to redirect his concentration, he could not pull his eyes away, especially once he saw something yellow and taller dash by the same aisle for a split second. He leaned in even more, and his attention made it even harder for his girlfriend to snatch him back before she eventually had to grab him and talk to him in his ear.

"I really think we should just go to the nurse and call it a day or something, because to be honest, we're both starting to act creepy," she whispered into his ear, diverting him again and getting him to regain himself. He instantly turned to face her, and she shot him the fakest smile she could muster up. "Actually, let's just go there right now and wait outside so that they don't think we're trying to cop out of class."

"I…agree. This school is even starting to get creepy."

"Right. So let's go!"

The couple did the same thing as the others by tossing all of their belongings back into their bags. They still could barely move but did their best to work hastily. Their stuff was gathered, and they were on their way out the door, holding hands while even more people watched them. Jessica looked at them as they exited with stiffened lips, and she was hoping her boyfriend would assist her in pushing them away. He didn't. Instead, he looked straight ahead without paying attention to where he was going. His mind reverted to thinking about what he had just seen, as it was something that he couldn't get out of his head. It had changed him.

'_If I try to tell her, she'll just blame it on my lack of sleep. I won't get her support, no matter how supportive she actually is. However, something just…felt different when I saw whatever I saw. I just hope I never see it again.'_

He remained in deep thought until Jessica nudged him as her way of getting him to notice what was going on around him. Fewer people looked and said things, but it was still enough to offset her feelings. As a result, now that he saw what was irritating her, he started making similar gestures in a more discreet manner: by nodding at the others or saying 'hi' to them. For most, it got them to let go of their attention, and gave the couple more space to head towards the nurse's office. However, as soon as the area grew less crowded, she noticed that he went back to his pondering and decided for the time being to do nothing about it. She grumbled because she knew he was going to continue it no matter what and realized it would be best to leave it be this time. He was just going to be the way he was being for the day.

And the thoughts stuck with him. His stiff eyes showed this, and that he wouldn't be letting go of them until he could figure them out.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Before this gets asked, I would like to clarify that yes, this is an OC-oriented fic. It's my darker take on what I feel Digimon could be like with a more realistic cast. However, there _will_ be multiple references to past iterations if you guys haven't caught on to a few already. Only more will come, and so I hope you guys enjoy the rest of this journey! :)


	3. A Surprise Gift

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Digimon. Digimon is copyrighted to Namco Bandai. All I own are the original characters and the original Digimon (if I make any).

* * *

**The Friendship Arc**

**A Surprise Gift**

The couple walked downhill by themselves as they kept quiet. There was no one around them, as James gazed stiffly at the scenery in front of him. His mind was still lost, and for a couple of times, Jessica kept calling his name to try to snap him out of it. After a few more attempts, she eventually lost her patience and stomped in front of him, stealing his attention.

"JAMES!"

The boy shook his head and stopped in his tracks. Now he was lost in her eyes. He stared fearfully at the brown pupils that looked into him. It was just her and him, and she was determined to set him straight.

"Gah, I'm sorry," he apologized, wiping his face in the process. "Look, I'll be better tomorrow. Right now, I'm just-"

"Just tell me, James!" This time, she looked at him pleadingly. "Because now I'm gonna be wondering what you're thinking about…"

"It's just… Ah, it's extremely hard to explain."

"You've explained complicated things to me before."

"Yeah, but this one's different. I don't even think you'd believe me."

Then Jessica walked up close to him, grabbing both of his hands and locking them with hers. The two's faces were only inches apart as she whispered innocently into his.

"Babe, just…spill it. It's not about your brother, is it? Because if so, I really think you need some help…"

"It's got nothing to do with him," James threw back. "Okay, since you seem to _need_ to know, I saw something that…I don't even know what it is."

His girlfriend tilted her head curiously, spurring him into explaining further.

"I mean…I saw some weird…'creature,' I guess. Only for a second though."

"A creature? In the library? And this is what you're stressing out about?"

"Yeah, it is…and it felt weird. It was purple and out-of-place. Then I saw some taller yellow thing with it as well, but that was only for a second as well. I don't know, but that's all that's been bothering me. You happy now?"

The moments of silence resumed between the couple as they looked away from each other in opposite directions. They were still alone, without anybody watching them. The other classes were still in-session, leaving them to be confused by one another. However, the girlfriend still pushed for more information.

"No…I wish I was," Jessica resigned, "I mean, it's not like we aren't having any other problems at the moment…but you've got some real issues."

James suddenly glared right at her.

"I've got issues? Haven't we already gone over this?"

"Or we both do, because creatures? Really, Babe? Creatures? Yellow and purple ones?"

"Jess, I don't know what else to tell you. It's what I saw, and maybe it is just a lack of sleep, but it didn't feel 'right.' I don't know how else to explain it."

"I see." Her face fell again. "And we've also already talked about how we're out of it. Let's just…not really talk on the way back."

"Agreed."

The couple smiled faintly at each other once more as a way to calm themselves. It was how they worked out their hardships when they couldn't agree, and it served as a binding force for them. It was still between them, even as they continued moving and James escorted Jessica to her house. She lived a few blocks down from the school in a one story house with a garage and a yard. In the driveway was an SUV and a Honda, her parents' cars, and one of them was walking out of the front door. She gave her boyfriend a kiss before they parted and Jessica passed by her dad, who nodded to James and waved as he climbed into his car. Neither of them spoke the same language, so the only way they could communicate was through gestures. James nodded back. Then he was on his own, walking to his house with his head low and his hands on the backpack's straps. Just as he had when he saw the creatures in the library, he went back into his own world, wondering about the possibilities.

'_Why can't I stop thinking about this? In fact, why do I feel like this'll be on my mind for days? It's almost like I'm hoping to see more… God, maybe once I get home, I'll cut it out.'_

He continued on by himself, walking along the sidewalk until he arrived back at his home. Nobody along the way spoke to him as they barely noticed him. He was the one they all liked to talk to, but because of his current mood, the attention was diverted. Even when he arrived at his home, no one spoke to him.

'_It's strangely…quiet. Whatever, though. It's what I want.'_

James went up to his door and wrestled with his keys in his pocket. They were stuck in his pants, seemingly knitted into the fabric. He grumbled in further discontent until he successfully pulled them out. He hated that they could be so stubborn. Then he pushed them into the keyhole and opened the door. There was nobody waiting for him, just as he had wanted.

He slammed the door shut, and James lost his posture so he could walk around recklessly. He trudged back into his room, threw off his backpack, and immediately spun to fall onto his bed where he sighed and looked up above at the mattress above him.

'_Now, hopefully, I'll have some better days…'_

The teen closed his eyes and spoke to himself as he dwelled on his previous thoughts again. He couldn't leave them alone, no matter how hard he tried. They would come back into his mind as soon as he pushed them out. They were becoming intrusive. It took him longer to fall asleep, leaving him to continuously change positions for nearly an hour. The thoughts never stopped, and it was after a certain point that he slowly raised himself back up. They gave him a feeling, one that told him that something was completely different. He could sense it.

"God damnit, I told her I would sleep to get over this," he mumbled as he looked at his window, "but I can't even do that. Damn it, man, damn it…"

Then there was a thud. His attention was directed at the door, and he looked at it curiously. Then he heard it again, causing him to stiffen up before gradually making his way towards it. He trembled in the process. Another thud, and he knew that he wasn't alone. There was something in the house, and he couldn't recognize the sound of it. It drew him to gradually opening the door, and then he peaked out and saw nothing.

"Rachel?" he called out, hoping for a response. "Mom? Dad?"

No sound. The boy continued listening and cried out again. Silence. There was no one he could see, even as he pulled himself out further. Suspicious, he exited his bedroom and crept out, looking around to make sure nothing would surprise him. He was still scared and slowly looked around in every room. They were all devoid of any source of noise. He dug through every room's closet, looked underneath the beds and opened every door. Nothing, not even in the bathtubs covered by shower curtains. Eventually he was in the kitchen without ever having found anything. He sighed. The tables and counters around him were dirtied with food stains, and the papers on the table were sprawled all across it. These things, he never noticed.

"I guess there's nothing. Prolly just my imagination getting the best of me…"

James slowly turned back around in his exhausted state to go back to his bed, walking with his eyes closed for a few seconds until he kicked something by accident and his senses perked up to it skidding across the kitchen's surface. The sound startled him into looking at the object, and he looked down to see a small brown box with his name written in black marker on it. The sight of it kept him scared and confused, still stuck in his state of confusion and restlessness.

"A box for…me?" he muttered, slowly reaching his hands out to grab it as he kneeled down. It reached up to his stomach before he picked it up. "That's strange. It looks like a UPS delivery…"

He picked it up and scanned it with his eyes. He analyzed every detail and kept turning the box around to see if he could find a label. There was nothing other than his name. Then he shook it around a bit and could hear something shaking and muffling around inside.

"Hrrrmmmpphhhh," came from the box. James reared his head back in further confusion.

"What was that?" he asked, looking around it again slowly. "Did I order a toy or something? Sheesh, I hope it's not another dumb gift Rachel got for me."

The boy stood back up and carried the box over to the counter. It was placed down, and James came back with a knife.

"And I hope it doesn't get any crazier. As long as it's battery operated I suppose…"

The kicking inside grew even more violent, causing the box to move in multiple directions across the counter. At this, James backed up in complete and immediate horror. Watching it go every which way, he wasn't sure what was inside, and stood back, cursing at it in the hopes that that would cause it to stop.

"The hell?!" he shouted, pushing himself against the stove and raising his knife. "Is this what was causing all that fucking ruckus?!"

And then the top of the box began to protrude open. At this, he was even more scared and reared the knife back. However, his self-defense instincts kept him from jumping forward at the box. His sweat dripped, and the tapping and muffling sounds continued until a purple tuft of fur was visible, pushing through the top as an oval shape was becoming visible. The muffled sounds became groans and cries.

"Oh God…don't tell me it's a furby…" James raised the weapon even higher. However, it made no difference, for as soon as the rest of the creature pushed itself out, his eyes lost themselves in its black pupils. He didn't move, and the cat-like monster's eyes caught sight the knife and growled. It was as nerve-struck by the situation as James was.

"What…the…fuck…" James mumbled, but tightening his grip on the knife. "Not a furby…just something uglier and scarier…"

The creature growled even louder at the insult and threw itself directly at James before he could defend himself. It thrusted itself againsthis chest, forcing him to drop the knife onto the stove where it clanged. Both of them grunted in pain, causing James lose control again, but this time in a rage. He immediately reached for the monster and grabbed it by its sides, under its ears. He did his best to keep his grip in the hopes of being able to smash it against the cabinets, but its strength was too much for him. It broke free from his grip and hopped from his hands to lunge into his face. However, James instinctively moved his head to the side, and its teeth connected with the stove's overhead.

"Son of a bitch." James then regained himself at the loud sound and backed as far away from the creature as he could. It hit the floor without chasing him, and he panted heavily as he watched it roll over on the ground. It was helpless, crying again as James noticed the small indentation in its teeth. Then he sighed with relief with his face to the ground. "Well…at least I'm safe."

Then he looked back up with tired eyes.

"Or so I think."

It continued stirring around. It was in desperation before and in pain now. Its failed attack had left it vulnerable, yet James didn't move. His fear had returned to him, and he started searching for another weapon. He found a fork on the counter next to him and began to slowly etch himself forward to deliver the killing blow. He had it raised high enough so he could plunge deep. He was going to end this and save himself, but then, he was stopped by the sound of a voice.

"GARGH," came from the creature, "It hurts! I won't be a captive anymore! I won't!"

James stopped in his tracks. He was astonished to hear a plea. A secondary urge hit him, and he eased his tension. He brought the fork down to his side Some part of it was human. It was alive with a conscience. But then he shook his head and tightened his grip again.

'_Nonsense, it tried to kill me! I can't let it hurt others!'_

He continued moving forward with his hand, raising the utensil back up. His nerves kept telling him to back away, but he did his best to resist them. Sweat fell from his chin, and then he brought the sharp end down.

But he missed by inches. On purpose

'_Nevermind… I can't do it,'_ he said to himself as he fell to his knees. The fork clanged again against the rough floor, falling from James's hand as the other end hit the ground. The creature heard the sound and looked at the human with its bleeding teeth, ready to attempt another strike until it noticed that he was looking away. His face pointed towards the ground while his eyes were motionless, and the creature felt the same urges as him to not attack. It had its own conscience, one that told it not to react. At this, it calmed down.

"God, I'm being so stupid right now," the boy cursed to himself. He wanted to back away again, but by the quiet air that surrounded him, he could sense that he was no longer being threatened. The creature noticed the same and remained quiet, with its expression staying somber. "I'm prolly gonna die any second… Why am I even feeling bad?"

The creature then spoke again, "You're not gonna…hurt me? Take me away?" The light voice disturbed James again, forcing him to meet its eyes again and swallow all of his fears. He felt confusion and every other urge to fight again or run away, but he resisted. He just continued to stare at it motionlessly until he responded.

"No, I… Damn, this is another thing I don't know."

But its expression lit up as it began to trust him. Its eyes scanned all of his features, taking in his entire image for the first time. His dirty brown hair and his shirt and pants that were now covered in purple and white fur. It saw this and briefly laughed after a moment that had been completely silent. And then it glowed. Its entire body turned white, with only its outer outline visible, becoming bright enough that James was forced to close his eyes. Even behind his eyelids he could see the piercing light. It was unlike anything he had ever experienced. He was repulsed and drawn to it at the same time, doing his best to try to think about what was happening while his anxiety kicked in again.

'_All I ever wanted to do was sleep!'_

The light died down, and James still kept his eyes closed. But once he sensed that the air around him was different, he opened them back up…only to be greeted by a purple and white snout that was only an inch away from his face.

"AAAAAAHHHHHH," he screamed, eyes wide open and thrusting his body against the wall behind him. "Wha, wha, wha, wha, wha… What happened to the little thing?! Did you eat it?!"

"It's me," Dorumon replied with a slightly deeper voice.

"So you did eat it!" James was then thrown into a rage again and reached for his fork, preparing for the same strike again. "And I was even starting to like it!"

"No, I AM Dodomon!"

"The fuck is a 'dodomon'?"

"It's… I AM that 'little thing'!"

"No, you're pretty big!"

The purple dinosaur began desperately looking around and shuffling in its spot before its eyes shot wide with an idea. It barred its teeth, which only further served to scare James. However, once he saw a tooth that was bleeding, he eased himself, slowly bringing the utensil down and recovering himself. He placed it back on the counter, pushing it as far away as he could out of regret. Again, he was nearly motionless, and Dorumon closed his mouth.

"I'm just only dreaming…right?" the tired teenager asked, peering straight into the dark pupils beneath him. "You're not real…and I'm getting the sleep that I want. Wait, then I wouldn't feel tired…"

He leaned his limp body against the kitchen sink and reeled his head back to look through the window to his backyard. The sun shone brightly, mildly relieving him until he felt a soft nudge against his leg. He pulled his head back up to look at the dinosaur again, not sure how to react this time. It stood up to his waist and stared innocently back at the human.

"Well…I feel real," Dorumon added. "And free."

"Free?" James pressed. "What do you mean 'free'? All this, and you feel free?"

"I'm not a captive or imprisoned anymore."

"Captive or imprisoned? Wait…" James muttered, shaking his head as he attempted to interpret what he was hearing. "…what? Just what is even going… Fuck."

As he cursed, the sound of a door opening and bags shuffling sucked away all of his attention. Dorumon heard the noise as well and looked towards the source of it, while James continued cursing and remained stiff for a moment.

"Goddamnit, goddamnit, goddamnit, goddamnit…" He was frantically searching around for a place to hide the dinosaur while he attempted to act normal towards his sister who was coming in. His goal was to move quick before she could notice anything, but all he managed to do was look helplessly at the innocent eyes. Then he gasped, opening his mouth wide, then catching himself and leaning down to whisper. He leaned until the creature's face was only inches away from his again. "Listen here. I'm gonna go greet my sister and talk to her for a while, and while I'm doing that, I want you to run the other way. Always stay away from that 'evil other voice'. It's scarier with a fork than I am. No time to explain!"

Then James ran out of the kitchen and towards Rachel. Dorumon watched as the teenager sprinted out and raised his ears to try to hear what was being said. James had turned around the corner and was instantly in the woman's face, nearly colliding with her before he could stop in his tracks. The two of them eyed each other without saying a word. It was an awkward moment where neither of them were prepared for a close-collision. They just stared at each other until Rachel broke the silence.

"You're home early."

"Friend of mine got into a fight today, and I tried to help him. If you don't believe me, I have a bruise on my chest to prove it."

"Oh, typical," the woman huffed, try to push by her younger brother. He stopped in her way again, and she puckered her lips.

"And you know what? Since Mom and Dad have always been saying I don't help out around the house enough, I think I should help you take some of these in," he suggested, reaching for her plastic bags of groceries and gripping them with his hands, smiling in return. Rachel noticed the oddity of his maneuvers but wasn't able to comment before he snatched them from her and walked away. "We'll just do things like this. You get the rest, and I'll put the stuff down and away."

"You know, wouldn't it be more helpful if things were the other way around?"

"Not really. Remember how picky Mom and Dad are being about where things are placed? They've been telling me how they're switching around where some things go, and that they'd appreciate it if they went there from now on. I don't think they told you anything about that."

Rachel placed her hands on her hips with the same expression. She wasn't pleased, but also wasn't in the mood to argue with him. She slowly turned around and went back outside the house to her car. James edged himself back to watch for when she was gone, and as soon as she was, he darted back into the kitchen with the bags in his hands to see if the creature was still there. It was empty, including all the food baskets. James just stood in shock and cursed again.

"Motherfucker…" He then dropped the bags and ran throughout the house, searching for Dorumon as fast as he could. He wanted everything to seem normal from his sister's end, but after looking everywhere, he found nothing. Every room was devoid of life like they were before, and once he heard the door creaking open again, he rushed back to his previous position. He stopped directly in front of the door when it was opening, giving him a view of Rachel and the scenery outside. It was there, as he watched her push through the hurdle, that he saw the dinosaur frolicking outside on the other side of her car, parked along the curb.

"So are you gonna grab these?" Rachel urged, pressing the bags against him a couple times. He barely noticed them as his brain attempted to make sense the fact that the monster was out and about. "Well?!"

James snapped out of it in a daze and instantly took hold of the groceries. He let his sister go by as she ran to her room to change her clothes. She complained about the condensed heat along the way, leaving him by himself to wait for her to disappear again before he dashed out to get the creature's attention. He left the bags at the front door and closed it.

"HEY," he yelled as he tried to draw its attention. It peered around the white Nissan Altima to see the source of the voice, and all it saw was a teenager who was continuously urging it to follow him with his hands as it started to run up to him. "This really is not what I had in mind! I just wanted you to stay inside, not go out. Geez Louise."

Its expression and ears fell as it stared at the ground. "Oh… Sorry… Guess this isn't freedom yet…"

"Trust me, staying out here is gonna get you into shit that I can't help you with. It might even bring problems to me. So come on, let's go!"

"James," Rachel called out as her head stuck outside from the front door. His entire body stiffened up as soon as he was next to the car, and he pushed himself against the dinosaur and shoved it behind the Altima, despite its protests. He stood next to the vehicle with his hands behind his back and looked back at his sister, smiling coyly. "Why are these sitting in front of the door?"

"Oh, ummmm…" the boy stuttered, feeling the creature tugging against him and slightly jumbling his voice. "I came out to close the trunk just in case some people came by to try to take something."

"And you couldn't just put the groceries in the kitchen first?"

"I saw some kids running by with things in their hands. Who knows what they were up to."

"Uhuh…" The woman shot him a stare with a raised eyebrow, edging herself back in. "Tell me more about what they look like when you come back in. I might wanna know for future reference."

"Sure thing." James maintained the smile, then let go of it as soon as his sister disappeared. Then he swung around to look back down at his companion who was still up against the car and kneeled down to his level. He whispered, "Now listen, and _do_ actually listen! Just follow me, okay? We're gonna go to my room, we'll talk quietly, and if someone comes in, I'll have a space for you to hide, alright?"

"But why can't I just talk to them?"

"Because they'd probably react the same way I did earlier. People here are scared of new guests."

"Oh…"

James stood back up and watched the door to make sure his sister wouldn't open it and surprise him. He kept eying it until he felt comfortable, and then he gestured for the dinosaur to follow him. The creature took notice and crept up behind his legs, and the two of them trudged towards the door. James kept looking behind him to make sure the creature was in place. Even though it knew it was being watched, it still slightly strayed by taking moments to sniff the bushes it passed by. At this point, James rolled his eyes and grabbed the creature the creature by its fur, dragging it to the door as it yelped and he gently pushed it open. He scanned within his house again. Only the sound of his sister unloading the bags was inside.

"Looks like we're clear," James confirmed, whispering to the dinosaur and letting it go. "Ya know what? Fuck this, just go straight towards my room without making much noise. Oh wait, you don't know where it is…"

James continued looking around to make sure nothing changed. There was nothing that would cross them. Once he knew this, he quietly stepped in with Dorumon following suit. The door behind them slowly shut itself, and they crept along and by the kitchen with James stuffing Dorumon to his sides that would keep him hidden. The creature just looked about in suspense. It was still clueless about its dilemma. After less than a minute, they made it through the small hallway and into James's bedroom, the sheets still in the same condition as they were just minutes ago.

The bedroom door behind them was shut. In fact, James had placed himself up against it.

"So what are you?" the teenager asked as the curious creature was walking through the room in delight. It was sniffing everything, from the Playstation Three to the piles of clothes that were laying on the floor. It brushed by his laptop on his desk with his tail, pushing it until it was on the edge. Out of fear, James lunged forward at the sight of it tipping over, and Dorumon watched him fly by and grab the device, nearly knocking the dinosaur over and creating an even louder ruckus. James caught it in time as it tipped and sighed, placing it back on the desk in the center. He gave the creature a harsh eye. "I'm serious! I've never seen anything like you."

"Me?" it asked, folding its ears back in slight fear. "I'm a…uhhh…Digimon!"

"A Digimon?" James fixed up the rest of the desk by arranging the stacks of papers as neatly as he could.

"Yeah. It means a 'Digital Monster'."

"And now you're digital. What in the fuck…"

"JAMES," shouted another voice from the hallway. "Seriously, what are you even doing?! Are you just being lazy and trying to get me to do everything?!"

"I'm sorry, sis," the boy yelled back. "I'm coming out now! Just one second!"

"That's all you're getting!"

The voice calmed down, and James and the Digimon kept staring at each other. Neither of them were pleased. James was angry, while Dorumon was frightened.

"A 'digital monster'… God, do you at least have a name or something?"

"I think so… It's Dorumon."

"Dorumon, huh?" he repeated. James folded his arms and pushed himself back up. He took a moment before he walked towards his door again. He was still trying to take in what was happening. "That's also weird. This is all weird. Man, how am I even gonna break this to others, or keep this a secret? My family, Jessica… I'll just go and help my sister now."

He stepped towards the door to exit, and the dinosaur stood still and watched him as he leaved. Before James opened the door again, he twisted to look back at Dorumon again. This time, his eyes were almost bloodshot.

"And don't wander around. You'll just cause trouble. I'm already in enough shit as it is."

Then he was gone. Dorumon was alone, staring depressingly at the room around him. He was closed-in as he had been before, and he was still confused by everything that was happening.

"What did I do…wrong? What have I ever done wrong to end up like this?"

* * *

James approached his sister again as she finished putting everything away. He wiped his face as a way of putting the stress behind him, but as soon as he spoke to Rachel, she turned around sharply, and her eyes penetrated deeply into his. He noticed the gesture and backed away from her in self-defense.

"So what do they look like?" she pressed. James was confused.

"Huh? Who?"

"AHA! I knew it! You're hiding something from me!"

"Wait, what?"

The blonde walked up to her brother with a piercing gaze that made him continue moving back until he was up against the refrigerator. It was just the two of them and her displeasure. She was after an answer from him, staring at him to convey her intent.

"I was asking you what the kids who were trying to take stuff from the car looked like, but as soon as I brought them up again, you stuttered. Pretty much confirms that keeping a secret!" James raised his hands up in self-defense in order to try to calm the woman down.

"Look, I didn't lie, alright. It's just that today's been a tough day, so not everything people say to me completely registers."

"I've heard that excuse before."

"Well, it's true! And those kids were fast, so I didn't get a good look at them."

"Don't try this, James."

The teenager gathered himself up to speak again, but then he let go of himself and breathed out. He slowly lowered his hands and returned her gaze with his own mellow expression.

"Alright then, I'll stop."

"So now you admit to being a liar? Do you do this to your girlfriend as well?"

"She's… Why are you even bringing her up?!"

"Because she's a great girl, and she doesn't deserve to be with someone who's so troublesome!"

"Okay, now you're going a bit far with this…"

"You're not even truthful to me, your own sister! So what's up?!"

"Look, it's nothing major, it's just-"

A loud creaking sound came from down the hallway, and James urgently looked around himself as he bit his lip. Then he dashed away from Rachel and towards the hallway. All the woman could hear afterwards was James and another voice mumbling, and their argument was fierce.

"JAMES," Rachel yelled as she headed for the hallway. "This is it! This is when I find out what exactly you've been hiding! Now, if you would just-"

She stopped herself as well as soon as she saw her brother pushing Dorumon back into his room. The boy was still thrusting the dinosaur in as hard as he could, but the Digimon protested, planting his feet into the ground as he continuously grumbled. Rachel's jaw hit the floor as she watched the two go at it, and both James and Dorumon noticed, stopping their protests and both looking up at the awe-stricken sister. James laughed sheepishly, while Dorumon did his best to smile.

"What…" Rachel stuttered, raising a finger to point at the purple dinosaur, "is…th-th-th-th-th-tha-THAT?!"

"Hahahahaha," James sarcastically laughed, then continued trying to push the dinosaur in. He was met with the same reaction from the Digimon. "I wish I could tell you, Rachel. Some things are better off as secrets, right?"

The woman maintained her widened eyes as she slowly walked off and away to where the duo could no longer see her. They could hear her mumbling to herself throughout the whole time she was gone, and that alone was what frustrated James even more as he pushed harder.

"Ya see what I mean, damn it?!" James whispered to the dinosaur, who was now fully inside his room. "Look, I don't like being bossy, but you gotta listen to me while you're around here, okay? Otherwise, people are going to freak out and bring problems to me AND you. You get that?"

Dorumon gulped and nodded his head, but despite that, he was still urging to move the other way. However, now that James was inside with him, the door was shut closed, leaving the two of them alone again.

"And now that she's flustered, we might get some peace." James threw himself on his bed and sprawled across it. The Digimon was still fiercefully looking around, and its eyes zoned in on an item on the desk. The teenager took note of its stillness and asked it what was wrong. Only a fearful response came.

"That…thing…" he replied, raising a claw to point at an object on the desk. James's eyes followed the claw and saw a small mint container that resembled a mushroom. The lid was purple while the body was beige. It was immobile, yet Dorumon was still frightened by it. "Is that a Mushroomon?"

"What the hell?" James cursed. "I don't even know what a 'Mushroomon' is? Wait, since its name ends in 'mon', and so does yours, does that mean that there are more…whatever you're called out there?"

"Somewhere out there, yes…" The Digimon still backed away from the mint case. James rolled his eyes at the Digimon's intimidation and snatched the mints from his desk, opening up the lid to eat some of them. "You just took off its head?"

"Its head? This thing isn't even alive. Why?"

"Oh, it's nothing…" Dorumon lowered his head out of guilt. "They just…several Mushroomons and me used to never get along."

"Never get along? They bullied you?"

"Yeah, they did. Sorry if I'm reactive when I see certain things…"

James gazed away from the desk and the Digimon and popped a mint into his mouth. His eyes pointed at the ceiling, as if they were trying to fixate on another thought.

"Speakin' of all that," James started, ingesting another mint, "how'd you, and maybe even more of you, come into this world? Cause now I think I'm about to be at the center of a lot of attention."

"I don't really know… It was all just a flash… I remember a tall yellow Digimon carrying me by her side. Don't remember her name, though." James's upper body rose at the hearing of his description.

"A tall yellow Digimon?" he pressed. "Wait, that reminds me… Holy shit…"

A series of knocks pounded on the bedroom door. They were hard and carried a slight echo, instantly drawing the duo's attention to it. James nodded at Dorumon as a way of telling him to hide, and Dorumon looked around, scrambling into the closet as his sister continued to attempt to interrupt them. The dinosaur had trouble squeezing in, with tufts of the fur on his legs and tail still protruding through beneath the closet door, but once he was safely away, the boy responded to the noise.

"Yes, Rachel?"

"James, I need to talk to you about something."

"I know, I know. Actually, I'll come out, so you don't have to come in."

The teenager lazily stood up from his bed while stretching his arms out. He loosened his body until he felt prepared to speak with his sister again, and then he made his way to the door. He opened it, and there stood Rachel with a depressed face looking at the ground, twisting and turning while her hands were together at her waist. It was her way of looking as innocent as she could when she was mad at somebody. James pushed himself outside the room, and stood in the hallway in front of his sister

"So you gonna yell at me again?"

"I want to, but that won't do any good. I just hope you know that you can't keep that thing here."

"Oh, and I have no common sense."

"Sometimes, you don't. And if Mom and Dad see that thing, things will be-"

"Look, I'll take care of it, alright? It's been pretty easy to handle until you got mad. I'll even try to take care of it right now, so if you'll excuse me..."

The boy turned back and opened the door into his room…only to find Dorumon standing at the front of it. He looked up at James with whimpering eyes, and James rolled his own again. His sister stood fearfully in the background, backing herself up to keep herself out of harm's way while still seeing what was going on.

"It's that hard to just listen to me once, isn't it?" James asked with hopeless, yet demeaning pupils.

"I get it. You all hate me. Seems like everybody does…" it muttered. It carried a depressing tone again, one that, just like earlier, hit James's emotions and caused him to look further down and rethink the situation. Rachel did the same. At this, James was about to reassure it, and so he opened his mouth, but he was too late.

Suddenly, the Digimon bolted right by the two of them, heading for the front door while Rachel screamed and James fell to the side. He could see the near-crying expression as it passed by, and immediately felt even more guilt as he watched it run down the hallway. It then took a sharp turn, and all he could hear was a crash. It was the same sound you hear when something is breaking in or out. Because of this, both of the siblings looked at each other fearfully, wondering where they had gone wrong. Why was the creature so emotional? While Rachel was angry with James about it and was about to shout at him, the boy got himself back up and dusted himself off. He was prepared to risk himself.

"This is all your fault," screamed Rachel.

"Save it," James ordered, then ran into his room to grab his cell phone before he stuffed it in his pocket. "If you need me, call me. Right now, I think I'm responsible for any crazy things that creature decides to do."

"You're going after it?!"

"There's no stopping me now!"

And then he ran right by his sister as the Digimon had to chase it. Unlike Dorumon, he opened the broken-through front door and closed it behind him as he left. He did his best to keep things orderly. Then, running down the hill and out in the open, he could see him wildly sprinting to get away from the house. It was faster than he had expected him to be, but he took off for it anyway. He was scared of the consequences of it breaking loose, and yet, at the same time, he began to think that he would feel bad if anything happened to it.

'_I'm doin' something crazy for this thing. God, is this what I'm like when I don't sleep? I care about things that wreck my life?'_

He followed after it at a near-identical speed, shouting its name to grab its attention. He did his best to sound sincere, but with his loud voice, he sounded more disappointed and ferocious to Dorumon than ever. He kept yelling at it for it to stop, but the Digimon only tried to pick up the speed. Before long, the dinosaur was out of his reach and gone. This left the teenager to pant by himself as he began to run out of energy. The previous night's lack of sleep had taken its toll on him, and he stopped in his tracks after sprinting a mile, bent over with his hands on his knees. The Digimon was by itself, wherever it may be, leaving him to continuously curse to himself over their previous exchange.

"I'm just fucking stupid," he swore, staring tiredly at the ground and sweating. "I should've seen that it was growing desperate. I mean, it fucking attacked me and got scared of my stupid mint case. Shit…"

Then he felt a breeze blow by him, and noticed a faint trace of a yellow blur rushing by him, and then traveling along the houses' rooftops. He watched as it quickly darted from one spot to the next, and another rush began to hit him. This time, after encountering Dorumon, he knew he wasn't seeing things. He knew that Jessica was wrong in thinking that he was crazy. Because of this, he lifted himself back up again to get ready for another sprint, but then he felt a rumbling in his pants pocket. He cursed to himself again.

"She'd better not have taken my word and be calling me…"

He whipped the iPhone out as it continued reverberating. He barely paid attention to it, still trying to track where the yellow blur and the dinosaur had gone. However, once he did, his eyes went wide, and he swore louder than ever. The phone was glowing a golden shade, growing slightly bigger in size and changing color from black to a white and purple mix. Instead of becoming one color, they ran around the phone's casing in strings, taking on a techno-artistic look and becoming thick in their own shades. All the dirt on the phone was completely gone, and the glow subsided, leaving a piece of technology in his hands that he had never seen.

"What is this?!"

The phone's screen was turned off, and he pressed down on the power button until a blue outline of Dorumon's face showed up with blue dots blinking around it. He retracted with a confused expression. This was the phone's loading icon, and as soon as it finished booting up, he could see all of his applications in a three-dimensional display. They popped out at him, as well as a whole slew of new applications. Then a monotone woman's voice started talking to him, startling him even more.

"Welcome to your Digivice," it greeted. "This is a device that is only formed when a DigiDestined starts to form a deeper relationship with his or her Digimon. Once the process has been complete, a Digivice is issued to that DigiDestined in the form of the latest and most popular handheld technology. For more information, please review the user manual that is installed. Until then, it appears that your Digimon has gone missing. To locate it, use the Digimon Finder app and select 'My Digimon'. You will then see a map of your location pulled from Google's software with a red dot highlighting your Digimon's current location. Please use utmost caution, as a Digimon that is missing is usually an unpleasant Digimon to be around."

Then the voice cut itself off, leaving James to look at it dumbfoundedly as it followed its suggestions.

'_This stupid thing better not be broken and lying to me. It looks cool now and all, but… Ugh… I'm blaming Dorumon for all of this as soon as I see him again.'_

He pulled up the app and selected 'My Digimon' from the list and watched as an up-top view of his area was displayed with a red dot moving in the direction that he last saw the Digimon traveling in. He looked at it grimly, and, with the remaining ounces of energy he had, he took off again while keeping an eye on the dot. He was determined to find the Digimon, and the blur that had been following it. Dorumon had become his responsibility. It was a side of him that he kept telling himself to acknowledge, but his frustration took over instead, propelling him to follow the dinosaur as fast as he could. He was going to find the Digimon, no matter the cost. Not even if it put him in harm's way…

* * *

**Author's Note:** So there you have it: the first pairing! As I hope you guys can tell, I'm doing my best to merge my own original ideas while keeping certain characters as true as I can to how they originally were. More pairings will be revealed over the course of the next few chapters, but at the same time, please do realize that this story is more than about me trying to be creative by matching certain Digimon with certain types of people. This is a large tale that I want to tell, and everything you're seeing now is just the beginning of it…


	4. The Partnerships

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Digimon. Digimon is copyrighted to Namco Bandai. All I own are the original characters and original Digimon (if I make any).

* * *

**The Friendship Arc**

**The Partnerships**

Sweat poured down his face as James sprinted up and down a series of roads. His legs were in overdrive, and several of the same people he passed by earlier watched him as he blitzed by. They didn't have time to ask him any questions. They only watched as he disappeared as fast as he appeared, and they had no idea where he was going and why he was running. At the current rate, many of them spoke of him as a 'crazy kid.'

But James paid them no attention. The water continued to drip alongside his arms and legs as they ran, with more pouring out, even after his body finally stopped. The boy stood in front of a fence that blocked him off from the hills that led to the far off mountain ranges, with a hole wide enough to fit a large dog in it. Panting, he pulled out his Digivice again and looked at the locator. The dot was much closer this time and had stopped moving. He looked out to the grassy areas above, and nearly lost his balance just by staring. He knew he was done for the day, despite the mouthful that he wanted to give, and the 'blur' that he wanted to see. However, he still pushed himself forward anyway, this time trudging with legs that were nearly limping.

"I'm gonna find you…" James huffed with motionless eyes and brown hair that shone under the sun. "…and I'm gonna do…unspeakable things… Yeah, I just hate you that much right now… Ya think you were scared earlier? Oh, just wait until I…"

James reached the top of the first hill and stopped, looking at the smaller hills beyond him and a purple figure that was a quarter-mile away from him. At the sight of this, he picked up his pace, nearly breaking out into a full-on run again as he closed in on the Digimon.

"…see you again! Yes! Dorumon!"

He repeatedly shouted the creature's name out in order to get its attention. He recognized it and felt secure in calling it as he was at the base of the hill it stood on. It was by itself, turning to look at the source of the noise and thrusted its ears up. It opened its mouth, widened its eyes, and dilated its pupils as if it were surprised. Then it started shaking its head sideways rapidly. In the end, it was trying to ward James off.

"Finally, I found you again," the exhausted boy vented as he was about to stop right next to the dinosaur. At this point, the Digimon was wildly throwing its arms and head about while taking quick glances behind it. It was more trying to keep James at bay. "Seriously, its been hell trying to get you. I'll admit, you're fast, even for a sports player like me, but I'm tired right now, so…"

The teenager regained his energy and finally looked at Dorumon in the eyes to notice its gestures. He was at first confused, and then extremely irritated.

"Wow, so you're still gonna act fucking out of it? You're still scared?! That reminds me, I have a lot to say about-"

"I'd advise you to not use harsh language towards him," came a deep feminine voice from down the other side of the hill. James cut his sentence short to look around for the source of the voice, even edging his head beyond Dorumon while the Digimon savagely tried to push him back without knocking him down. Even as he tried, James still softly leaned forward and won against his gentle force, looking over interrogatingly until he saw a tall yellow humanoid fox with deep blue eyes, purple yin-yang symbols on the front side of its legs, and purple arm pads walking uphill to see what all the fuss was about. The two determined individuals looked at each other in the eyes for a moment before James gave up his resistance and allowed Dorumon to accidentally push him down. "But, I must say that your courage _is _something."

James and Dorumon laid in the grass with dizzied eyes until James shook himself violently into complete consciousness and stared into the Digimon who continued walking up to tower over him. He allowed its blue pupils to meet his own eyes for another second before he closed them and urged for his hands and feet to push against the dirt and back away from it. Just like Dorumon before, he was overcome with fear, but his desperation and fast movements caused him to roll over and somersault back down to the base of the hill instead. He reached the bottom with his face laid down, while Renamon lightly chuckled at the sight.

"Funny," she commented, "you're fine around your own partner, but around other Digimon, not quite so."

"Fine?!" James spat. "My partner?!"

All of a sudden, James boiled, but still held his fear in the background while he slightly stuttered as he removed his face from the ground, looking at the fox again. "I currently hate him!"

"So you say," she calmly responded to his anger. "How _do_ you two plan to make this work? He's easily frightened and curious, while you're easily angered."

"Oh, if you'd seen the shit earlier… Wait… Fuck, are you another one of those 'Digimon'?"

"I may be."

"Urrrggghhhhh…"

James slowly stood up while stumbling around to get a better look at the fox who stopped only a yard in front of him. He spat the dirt out and wiped his mouth in anxiety, ready for another surprise attack to come his way. He knew he wouldn't be able to match her with her physique, but he kept his attitude in-check. He was ready to defend himself.

"We are not enemies," Renamon reassured to him, extending her arm out to her side as a waiver. "I am merely checking on the stray one here: the Dorumon."

She looked behind her and gazed at the smaller dinosaur as his ears instantly fell and he looked at the ground with a defiant frown.

"He's a reckless one that has been unstable for some time. I left him for you, but he seems to be running astray very often."

"Has he ever," James commented sarcastically. "But wait, so you're also a Digimon, AND you're the one who brought him to me? You're the one to blame for this?!" Renamon lightly closed her eyes and replied to him in an as easy-going a manner as she could muster up.

"I understand that this frustrates you."

"Holy fucking hell, does it! So why did you do this to him and me?! Why?! I have a life that I'm struggling to live, and I'm sure he does too, but yet you do…this! It's weird enough that you can all talk, and I… Gargh!"

James looked down and started cursing every word that flowed into his mind. He was more than frustrated at – he was enraged. The stress within him was overloading him and finding new ways to strike him. He wanted to explode, and his body trembled as he was about to do so until he felt a rumbling in his pocket. Lyrics chanting 'Digimon' over and over again shot out from it, and he immediately identified it as his Digivice as soon as he reached for it with a ring tone he had never heard before.

"Digimon, digital monsters, digimon are the champions," sang the phone as he pulled it out. Both Renamon and Dorumon stared at it as it came out, with the former's eyes going wide.

"Great, weirdass music to accompany this thing, too," James complained, then looked to see it was somebody from his house calling him. "At least I can still call. Too bad I know who it is, cause I really don't wanna talk to her right now. Hey, Sis!"

A mumbling could be heard coming through the Digivice while Renamon cocked an eyebrow.

"He switches his mood so easily. These humans _are_ something unique," the fox dumbfoundedly spoke. Dorumon slowly nodded in the background.

"Oh my God, look, I found him! No, don't call Animal Control, they'd freak out if they saw what I'm seeing! It's none of your business right now! Well, okay, it is, but I'll handle it right now. I'll bring him back- YES, I'LL BRING HIM BACK! You can scream at me later, okay? Okay, bye!"

He pulled the Digivice away from his ear and tapped the 'disconnect' button to cancel the call. He stuffed it back away in his pocket, and Renamon caught that he was available to speak to.

"So things truly are progressing," she said again.

"I don't even wanna try to figure out what you just said, you… I guess you have a name, too?" The fox chuckled again before lightly smiling at the boy. However, he didn't budge this time. He decided it was time to be fearless, and time to address and learn things.

"Renamon. And I suppose I should ask you to introduce yourself, since I am sure someone else here hasn't…"

Renamon shot Dorumon another quick glance, and he groaned in protest. She had lectured him about his runaway attempts earlier and stopped him from completely escaping. She was his moderator, and he despised every bit of it. Throughout their time together, he said nothing to her, while she said a lot to him.

"Jeez, at least you're being hard on him for me," James commented, scratching his head in slight pity. "I've yelled and screamed enough times today. Oh, and I'm James."

"James, huh?" Renamon said sternly with a mystique, standing still.

"Yeah. You have an issue with that, too?" The fox closed her eyes and shook her head, then turned around to walk and pass by Dorumon. The dinosaur looked at her with his head low and felt the urge to snap at her but restrained himself, while James, like her, raised a brow and tried to decipher her.

"No, I don't," she finally replied. "I'm just remembering it as the name of the first selected Digidestined."

"Digidestined? The fuck?!" James shock back. Again, Renamon remained still, absorbing his curse words. "Am I supposed to be some kind of Power Ranger now? Holy… You guys are just amazing… Or you Digimon, whatever."

Renamon sighed, while Dorumon looked at the two of them in confusion. He didn't know where he stood in everything, because Renamon didn't told him anything. He was only wrapped up and left as a 'gift' in the boy's house without knowing anything. She felt insecure about telling a Digimon with deeper powers that was still maturing the whole gist of what would happen. She knew he wouldn't take it well, so she told him to just try to make friends with whomever he met. She didn't go into detail, but now he was slowly piecing things together. The Digivice that sang a Digimon song, James's need to chase and take care of him, and Renamon making sure he didn't run away. The fox could sense his frustration as he emitted a low growl. Under his own current stress, he felt betrayed, and gave up in restraining himself.

"You told me nothing," Dorumon's adolescent voice addressed, twisting himself to face the yellow fox's back and flaring his hairs up. "I've been bullied by other Digimon, you guys locked me up in something, and now you're using me. You yell at me, and you don't even tell me what for."

"It would not be a good idea for us to talk about this now, Dorumon," Renamon informed him as she twisted herself so that her right arm was facing him. She looked at him with motionless eyes, warning him that she was serious. However, he was unfazed. He was angry, not scared. He was ready to fight, with teeth barred.

"That's why we won't talk! RARGH!"

And so the wrathful dinosaur lunged for his overseer. Renamon smirked, even while he was only a few feet away from her and swiftly swept under him, watching him dash over her for a split-second before jumping up to wrap her arms around him. She jumped into the air, holding him tightly, and as they were about to come down, she hurled his body down as hard as she could. The dinosaur was slammed hard against the dirt, imprinting deep into the soil, and watching as the fox stopped on the outer edges above him on all-fours. This time, she looked at him with a death glare, one that pierced through him and scared him until he was chattering his teeth and veering back in fear.

"I guess someone just needed to be spanked," she hissed, staring as deeply as into the Digimon as she could. Then she flipped over him, landing beyond him and closer to James on her hind legs. She stood in a kneeling position, then brought herself back up to dust off her paws and look at the teenager once again, whose jaw had dropped down to his chest. She noticed his surprise at her capabilities, and added, "He's been tamed. No more anger bouts from him. You two should get along just fine now."

"I think…so…"

"I'd go over to him if I were you. He might need some reassurance."

"I know… God damn…"

Renamon finished cleaning off her paws and walked away from both of them until the sun shone above her. James didn't shift his gaze from where his partner laid, but Renamon continued speaking to him anyway.

"In the meantime, I'll be uniting the other Digimon I have with me with their own partners. Hopefully you can all bond together as well as you two will."

This time, the boy caught all of her words after the last few were said, and right as he saw her about to leap away, he yelled to her.

"HOLD ON!"

The fox halted, stopping just before she would have taken off.

"There's more of me and him?" he questioned.

"Plenty more, and I must go," the fox confirmed, kneeling further down. "I'm sure we'll meet again one day, James. Take good care of each other."

Then the fox was off, running and dashing over the fence until she became a blur that leapt across the houses. It was just the human and the dinosaur again as he watched her, with the Digivice ringing for a second time. James ignored it again and continued to be fascinated and disturbed by what he had just seen. He now knew that there was more to his current situation than he thought, and that there were others he was supposed to meet up with. Who were they?

Meanwhile, a loud groan emanated behind him from the spot where the short brawl had taken place. The confused boy then spun back around and remembered what he came for. With a determined face, he ran back up the hill to where Dorumon lay in a small hole, and stopped at the edge of it, looking down at the purple dinosaur who stopped his moaning and grinned sheepishly at the sight of his partner. James just spat on the untouched grass next to him.

"You and I are partners, ya know?"

* * *

"And we're gonna make this work!"

The duo dragged themselves back to James's house where Rachel saw them coming and stood at the front door. A range of emotions hit her as soon as she saw them approaching. First, she was shouting gleefully, and then an instant later, she was yelling. They weren't able to make out her complaints until they approached the broken door and opened it, where the boy was greeted by a woman who complained about him not picking up his phone.

"I'm alive right now, alright?" he established, waving her by as he came in with the skittish dinosaur following behind him. "Even though I barely feel like I am. And so does he."

"You're family to me, James! I was worried!"

"And I was out there risking my life, sweating and panting! Look, let's just be calm right now. It's been a long day, and we've still got the other half of it to go."

"Be calm? I wish, because we have _that_ thing in our house."

"Aaaand it's here to stay. Trust me, don't ask me to explain, cause I can barely think after being through all this shit." Rachel contorted her face, then threw another complaint at him sharply.

"Fine, but you better have a good bunch of explanations thought out, cause when Mom and Dad come home, I am NOT about to take the blame for any of this!"

"And that is why I don't want to talk: so I can think. Please, just leave us alone for now, and we'll have something thought up within an hour or so."

"You had better..."

The two dragged themselves back to the boy's bedroom and shut it closed once they were in. The tired teenager jumped for his bed, while Dorumon stood and looked around idly. He was stuck in a mental phase, much to James's frustration, despite his exhaustion. The boy wanted to learn as much as he could as quickly as he could.

"So who exactly was that?" James started off, pulling Dorumon's attention towards him. "Explain it, since I'm sure you know a thing or two."

"She's the one who brought me here…though I never really knew why until now. Even then, I don't completely know."

"You think it has something to do with us being 'partners'? Me being a Digidestined? And this?"

James pulled the Digivice back out of his pocket in the hopes that Dorumon knew more about it. The Digimon shook his head sideways.

"I'm not even really sure. All I know now is there is something major they want me to do. She wouldn't tell me anything, though." The boy put down the phone and rolled his eyes. Then he pointed at it.

"Well do you at least know what this is? Cause it transformed something very precious to me."

"I…don't know. I'm really sorry."

"You're sorry?"

The dinosaur nodded his head, and James started bouncing around in his bed. He was further displeased with his current predicament since he wasn't getting any help from anyone.

"God, you make me act like a father," he finished, "and I'd say a _lot_ more to you, but I think we've gotten our points across."

For the first time, Dorumon looked up displayed a faint smile that he meant. He was relieved to know his partner wouldn't explode again, and that he could safely communicate. Now he was more willing to talk, and willing to share.

"But it's a start," the Digimon reassured.

"Hell yeah it is! Everything's only gonna get worse, starting with my parents coming home. Oh God, that reminds me, we gotta think of something real fast. Grrr…"

James started looking around at his Digimon and everything else in his room as his way of helping him think. The two of them were clueless. Dorumon only returned his glances with an expressionless face. He didn't even know what 'parents' were. All he knew was that it was another stressful situation incoming.

"Something bursts through your door," James murmured. "What regular thing could possibly burst through your door? A big dog? No, they wouldn't buy that. A deer? A mountain lion? Oh God, how would I even tell them about that? I'm not even good at making up stories. My girlfriend always has to do those for me when we try to tell the nurse we're sick. Freak…"

Then he looked back at Dorumon with a glowing face. An idea had hit him, while Dorumon remained all the more confused.

"I got it," James proclaimed, smacking his leg. "I was doing a Science experiment near my door with some friends for school when we messed up badly! No wait, a school wouldn't let us do those at home, nor would they believe the school let us do that if they actually did. Fuck, and I somehow gotta keep you hidden for the whole day and night as soon as they arrive."

Then Dorumon's face also sparked up. He threw James another low moan, and the boy's palm hit his face as he thought about his companion.

"Yeah, I forgot how you'd feel about that. Which means I'd have to introduce you to them. Man, what the… Fuck, you guys would have just met sooner or later anyway. It's not like you're going anywhere any time soon, especially with that other one keeping you in-check. You can't really go anywhere without…me."

James fell back on his bed as the waves of responsibilities hit his mind. Despite being partners, he was essentially a caretaker. Dorumon did not understand the concepts of the human world and could not yet effectively make his own decisions. It would be up to James to keep him under his watch while satisfying his family, improving his performance at school, and maintaining his relationship with Jessica.

He was a Digidestined.

"Are you okay…James?" Dorumon initiated. The boy's attention was further absorbed upon hearing the dinosaur speak his name. However, he still remained laying down.

"Yeah. Oh, yeah, I'm…" he stuttered, throwing his arms out exasperatedly "…perfect! Things are just better than ever!"

But then he mumbled about how they weren't. Then his attention was redirected again as soon as he heard the sound of a car parking in the driveway and the low volume of people chattering. His heart stopped, and his body shot up.

"You don't seem like it."

"Just be…quiet!"

His ears zoned in on the voices as they grew louder, until they screamed. He knew them to be the voices of his parents, and his sister came knocking on his door.

"I hope you're ready," she beamed.

"Uhhhh, yeahhh…" He turned to look at Dorumon, who was only beginning to slightly tremble. He didn't know what was going on. "I don't think you're gonna like this."

* * *

"Well that went well," James muttered as he walked away from his house with his shoulders hunched. Dorumon strode alongside him, shaking even more as he recalled meeting the boy's parents.

"That was scary," he grunted, not even looking at his tired partner.

"Tell me about it. It never ends." He wiped the sweat of his face that stemmed from facing his parents, both of which screamed even louder as soon as they saw Dorumon. They'd held their hands to their mouths for a long while without moving or saying anything, and James tried to introduce them to each other. He'd spent most of the time being the only one talking, as even Dorumon was too scared to say anything. Then they walked right by him and into their house, and once he followed, they proceeded to yell and curse at him, and ordered him out. They didn't say anything about letting him back in.

"So can we ever go back?"

"Do we even want to?"

"Well what'll we do?"

"Just sleep and never wake up, cause this is all a dream."

"A what?"

"Don't ask."

They walked down the same hill they had just come up from, and James made no attempt to hide Dorumon from the sight of others. His new life started now, and he figured it would be best for others to get to know this much. The purple dinosaur was here to stay. Knowing this, he ignored the gasps and stares he got from his neighbors, while Dorumon looked around at them, unintentionally scaring them off. They fled back into their houses with the parents calling their intrigued children to come in. There it was: a creature that looked like it came from a cartoon show standing in front of them. They were thrilled by it, and nearly ran towards it until they were called in. Then some of them either stopped in their tracks or trudged in. The duo was getting no peace.

"Hey, speaking of these kids liking you," James recalled, his body lighting up again, "I think I know someone who may just be willing to put up with you. I mean, she puts up with me all the time."

"Huh?"

The boy looked towards the sky, proclaiming to himself.

"Yeah, if she doesn't accept you, then this is hopeless. But I need to have someone on my side, and the only person I can trust is her."

Then he stared forward again, his eyes showing his determination to accomplish something.

"Come on, let's pick up the pace a little. Man, will she think I'm weird now…"

"But where are we going?"

"We're gonna meet my girlfriend, Jessica."

The dinosaur was only further confused, however. He tilted his head while looking up at James, waiting for him to clarify. James noticed the dinosaur's awkward silence, and he remembered the explaining he needed to do as soon as he saw its face. He sighed.

"She's a girl who's really close to me. Wait, you probably don't even know what a 'girl' is, or a 'boy' for that matter… Just know that she's someone special we can trust. Anyway, I need to rest, so let's get there soon!"

But their pace didn't pick up. Dorumon frowned at watching his partner grow even more tired, and began to sympathize with his slower movements. The exhaustion was beginning to hit him as well after his long day of running, so he felt the boy's pain alongside him. The past few hours were difficult for both of them.

A few minutes later, James was back at Jessica's house. As he approached her front door, he told Dorumon to hide behind the bushes next to it. He said that he wanted to 'surprise' her. Dorumon didn't show any signs of rebelling this time and took cover, accidentally stumbling and rolling over into the bushes instead. James grimaced, but fixed his face just before ringing the doorbell. He stood still for a moment until he heard footsteps becoming louder and voices coming up to him. It went on between a young girl and an older man until the door finally opened, with the long-haired girl looking surprisingly at her boyfriend whom she never expected.

"James?" Jessica queried. Her tall dark-skinned father stepped beside her and nodded at the boy as his way of greeting him. James returned the gesture while looking at Jessica straight in the face.

"Hey, Jessy. Is it fine if I talk to you about something? Because it's really important."

"Couldn't you have called?"

"Well, I've also got something I need to…show you."

Jessica sighed, then looked up at her father who returned her stare. She gestured to him towards her boyfriend, and he nodded to her as well. Then she looked back at James.

"I'll be right out. Are we going anywhere?"

"I just need to show you something around the corner. Like right in front of your driveway. Actually, a couple things, come to think of it."

"Okay then." Then she looked back up at her father. "I'll be back in a minute, Dad."

The older man nodded again, and Jessica stepped outside with James by her side, who quickly guided her to the driveway where no one's car was parked. He looked behind him to signal for Dorumon to move closer to them, of which the Digimon gently replied, and Jessica looked in the same direction, only to see nothing. Then they both stood alone, and Jessica raised an eyebrow at her tired boyfriend.

"Did you even sleep?" she asked.

"I wish I had."

"What's that mean?"

"Too many things, such as…"

James reached into his pocket before pulling out his Digivice and holding it out for Jessica to see. She looked at it intriguingly, being absorbed by the three-dimensional effect from the screen as soon as James turned it on, and its white and purple color scheme also drew her in. She grabbed it from her boyfriend's palm, and nearly lost her breath at the sight of it. Her reaction concerned James, who pressed to understand.

"…this. You sure you're o…kay?"

"This happened to your phone too?"

"Too?!" He raised his eyebrows at her and nearly veered backward. "Wait, so then… No, please don't tell me…"

Jessica's eyes met James's again, and they both shared frightful stares. They went a moment without saying a word, with their bodies beginning to slightly tremble. They were tempted to ask the other a specific question, but stuttered in trying to do so.

"So…" James began again, "…what exactly happened to yours?"

"Same design as what you have, but…mine is white and yellow. Where yours is purple, mine is yellow."

"And it has a 'Digimon Finder'…app?"

"I think so…Jeez, babe, why is this happening?!"

"I barely even know. Speaking of which, this isn't all that I wanted to…show you…"

"You have something else?!"

"Yeah, it's…right around the corner."

Jessica turned to look behind her again, only to see nothing standing there. She narrowed her eyes, but still found nothing, and then looked back at her boyfriend.

"He's an expert hider," he confirmed. "Trust me on that one. I know all too well."

"He?" she muttered, then stood still, waiting for something else to happen. James noticed her anticipation and edged his head over her shoulder, calling out to his Digimon who was taking cover behind the large tree in her front yard and hastily trotted over to avoid further detection. Jessica heard the low rustling sounds and twisted her head again to watch as the purple dinosaur strode right beside her before slowing down as he noticed the human girl. She gasped at the sight, and just like how she was intimidated by him, he was intimidated by her, instantly slowing down as his eyes were fixed on her.

"So…" James began, breaking the temporary silence, "Dorumon, this is my girlfriend I was talking about, and Jessica, this is my…partner."

However, the staredown between the two continued, even as the dinosaur stood next to James without reacting. He didn't know how to react, and more thoughts raced through his mind as he watched her face meet James's again.

"James…" she nervously mumbled, gulping before continuing, "…what is the meaning of this?" The boy looked at his girlfriend confusedly.

"Well…don't you have a Digimon with you as well?"

"A Digimon? All I have is my morphed phone."

"That's all?! But if what my phone told me earlier is true…"

He looked back at his Digivice again and gently grabbed it from her hands, taking a long look at the phone's display.

"…then that doesn't make sense. You can't have one of these without having a partner Digimon."

"Really? Cause I don't know. All I know is something weird happened to my phone, and it has a bunch of different functions now. I've never heard of anything like…this," she claimed, looking to Dorumon again. Dorumon caught the degrading tone in her voice, but restrained himself again. He was done with seeing trouble for the day, but he could sense there would be more of it. No one was able to get along for the day, no matter what.

"_And it's all my fault,"_ he thought as he continued to gaze back at Jessica. _"Everything's been trouble because of me, but I don't want more problems… They hate me enough."_

"That's weird," James analyzed, "Very weird… But wait, mine is white and purple, and Dorumon here is white and purple. Yours is white and yellow, which I guess is a really vague…"

James stopped himself. He slowly looked down at Dorumon, who caught his words and processed them at the exact same time he did. The Digimon looked up at him, and they each knew that they thought the exact same thing.

"…clue."

"A clue?" Jessica asked with a mixed face. "You're telling me I'm supposed to have a partner as well?!"

"I would think so. We're just not liking the sound of things."

"Sound of things?!" she asked again exasperatedly. "James, you're being really confusing right now! Just spill it, and all of it!" At this point, the boy actually did back up and raise his hands in self-defense, while Dorumon only edged away. This human was also scary.

"All of it?" he threw back. "I barely know anything! I just think I know who your Digimon might be, and it's not someone I found fun to get along with. Then again, I barely got along with my Digimon… Hell, I barely get along with anyone nowadays."

"My Digimon? So you _do_ know something! And what is a Digimon, anyway? Please, just completely explain something to me, James…"

James's looked all over the sky in frustration. He told himself that he couldn't blame her for asking what she was asking, yet he was unsettled to know that things got more complicated when he hoped they would simplify. As he did this, Jessica looked further into him, and moved in closer to put her hands on his elbows.

"I get it, you're confused," she reassured. "This all just came to you today, I guess, and I'm just adding to your stress, but it seems like your problems are gonna start to hit me, too. I'm the only one in my family who knows that my phone changed so far, and the fact that it's also happened to you and more is really making me worried."

"It's fine," James said, calming her down. "The bad thing is that I don't think I know as much as I need to. This little guy here doesn't know much either, and because of that, I don't even know what a 'Digimon' really is. He's just told me it's a 'Digital Monster', which is vague. Like he comes from the internet or something. Then there's the other Digimon we just recently met that we're presuming to be yours. It was a tall yellow and white fox with some _serious_ mystique and is the one who brought him here. How she did that, I don't know. In fact, I'm sure both of them are those 'creatures' I said I saw in the library."

Jessica steered her eyes away from the boy and loosened her grip, allowing her hands to slightly fall. James felt the pressure release and looked down at his girlfriend again. She appeared more tender than ever, her body language nearly asking him to caress her. However, he knew it was just her beauty acting on him, but he hugged her anyway. He knew he had struck home.

"And I'm just adding stress to you, too. I'm sorry about that, Jessica, but at least now you know I didn't go crazy. However, not getting any sleep hasn't made me any better to be around."

"No, I also say it's fine," she added, gently pushing him away. "But… Grrrrr, damn!"

Both Dorumon and James slightly reared themselves back. For James, it was the first time he had heard her curse in a while, and Dorumon was only responding to him. In the meantime, the dinosaur continued to look at the couple, not fully understanding what their relationship was. Why do they speak softly to each other a lot? What was the point of his partner wrapping his arms around her? And his own stress hit him: now, he entered their conversation.

"Am I," he muttered to their surprise, "causing you guys problems? Should I just leave again?"

At his words, James nearly choked, causing Jessica to back up in disgust. He couldn't believe what he had just heard, and shot Dorumon a painful look.

"Leave again? Don't you remember what happened like an hour ago, Dorumon?" He was punching his chest, putting himself back into prime shape. "And besides, with the look of things, I think we're gonna need you now more than ever."

"So now I'm accepted?"

James completely released the girl from him and kneeled down till he was face-to-face with the dinosaur. They stared at each other almost as intently, and Jessica watched awkwardly as they continued their exchange.

"Let me just say that I've been showing you something called 'tough love.' I've been trying to do things that were the best for both of us, and you came by at a time when I already had things rough. But…"

He cursed at the ground in spite of his situation, and then he resumed.

"…we're both here, and so is the one who brought you here, and supposedly more. It seems like bigger things are gonna happen, so we gotta do what we can, especially in that we have to show my girlfriend more things."

"More things? Like how the phone now works?" Jessica added in again.

"Pretty much."

Another moment of silence hit them as the trio digested all of the current information. There was James, a teenage boy who was struggling in school and felt the need to rest, but then a Digimon came into his life and changed things. Then there was Jessica, James's girlfriend who was going through similar struggles and still trying to understand them. And finally, there was Dorumon, the easily-frightened dinosaur who was a Digimon, a Digital Monster, a creature of which the other two had never seen before. He was as emotionally struck by the situation as the boy and the girl were, and because of that, they all felt more lost than ever.

"And you and me, Jessica," James said, breaking it as he stayed down, "we're gonna need each other more than ever before. It's not just gonna be personal drama anymore."

"I can already tell."

"In the meantime…" James stopped to rub his nose. "God damn, what are we gonna do right now? I was hoping to rest up here, as I'm sure Dorumon was as well, but it seems like we should be doing something." Jessica eased him by putting a hand on his shoulder.

"I should probably go in and get my phone and show it to you. Maybe we can get more familiar with these things, and then figure out what to do from there."

"Yeah… That sounds like a pretty good idea," James agreed, sniffling. "Me and Dorumon will just be waiting out here. At least it's quiet, so no one will come to bug us."

"Well, school gets out soon, so you may want to be wary."

"Oh yeah, that's right… Shit, Doru-," he paused as an idea hit him, staring at the Digimon in front of him. "By the way, is it fine if I call you 'Doru' from now on? All your names end in 'mon' anyway, and it's easier to say."

"I guess that's fine," the dinosaur confirmed, no longer afraid again. "It's just a name, anyway."

"Now I'm likin' you more," James threw back, smirking. "Alright. Anyway, Doru, as much as I hate to say this, you might wanna take to hiding again, unless you like having people storm around you."

"Not at the moment. I'll just go back into the bushes for now."

The dinosaur instantly dashed back around them and sheltered itself among the leaves. James watched it leave and remained still, while Jessica watched it go by before she decided to head back in.

"At least you got used to him quickly," the boy commented to his girlfriend, recalling how he and the rest of his family first reacted to Dorumon. "I can't say the same for myself and some others."

"I'm not surprised. I don't think my up-tight family would handle it well either." Then she looked back at her boyfriend who stood back up. "Anyway, I'll be back. Aw, dang it, now I gotta talk to my dad about going out with you. Whatever, though, it shouldn't take long."

Then she left James alone as he nodded in response, running back into her house. It was only him in the driveway now, and he stared in long pause at the houses in front of him, all the while holding his Digivice out. He shifted his gaze back down to it and began casually browsing through the applications.

'_Hopefully there's a lot more fun things added to it now. Dang, I haven't even played with it yet! Usually when I get a new gadget or an upgraded one, I fiddle around with it immediately. Well, tough times have been calling, and being a 'Digidestined' means those'll be rhetorical. Gah…'_

* * *

Among the neighborhood rooftops, watching the dinosaur and James and Jessica as they spoke to each other from a distance, kneeled a yellow and white fox. She stayed close enough to listen to their exchange, and smirked at every moment they were confused.

"And there's the second one," Renamon commented, closing her eyes as she thought vividly. "Hopefully I'll get to know her well soon enough since I had to exert extra digital energy to change her phone, but I must not forget this is all about keeping _him_ in-check. A stray Digimon…with an X-antibody. If he loses control, it could mark the end of many places in this world. He is at least learning some control."

Then the fox stood up on the edge and turned around, yet gave a final look to James as he stood by himself, analyzing his Digivice. She smiled.

"But perhaps you and I will meet again sooner than expected. And perhaps we can work together to save my world, and possibly even yours, from someone who you-"

She stopped herself, looked forward, and instantly sharpened her gaze.

"What am I saying?!" she cursed to herself. "I have a job to perform. Bonding and getting to know others should be the last thing on my mind! But hmmmm… Perhaps Omegamon meant something else when he told me to find my own partner… Well, I have one now, and that is it. I must carry on."

She bent her knees, and then quickly jumped off into the distance, evading attention from the packs of teenagers who were walking down the walkways as they left from school. None of them saw her, yet a few could hear the tapping sounds of something traveling up above. Some of them tried to look for the source of it before they decided to forget about it, disregarding it as their imagination. Renamon looked down at them and smirked again at their dismissive nature. Their attention was unwanted, even as she told herself that Digimon would likely be something they all knew about one day.

"Chaos could ensue if we are not careful," she added as she kept dashing along. "This must get done soon."

She ran towards the mountains surrounding the outskirts of the city where her hideout laid. It was a small cave leading underground that several wild animals used to occupy until she cleared them out. It as her home now. No one else was allowed in unless she knew them. Once she approached it, she walked off into its darkness, invisible to the other predators around.

"I think this mission is slowly making me into Omegamon. I AM looking after a small group of Digimon before sending them off…and inevitably joining them in combat."

Then the fox never said a word. All that could be heard deeper within was series of different high-pitched cries, all of which were anticipating what would happen to themselves next. They were the rest of the Digimon, all of which were chosen to be partnered with someone Renamon found suitable for them. It was a task she enjoyed and hated at the same time. She enjoyed seeing the world and learning, but there was a lot of stress on her part to do things right. Because of this, even as she sat next to the Digimon, she kept reminding herself that she could not fail. She could not fail…

* * *

Many groups of teenagers were walking downhill towards Jessica's house where both James and tufts of Dorumon's fur were exposed. They barely noticed James and only threw him headnods or waves while they didn't notice his shyness. Others asked him why he was alone and pacing in front of someone's driveway, to which he responded that he was just waiting for someone. They asked him if it was his girlfriend and he nodded, causing them to laugh as they walked away. Some of them even called him a 'dork' as they left, while others even congratulated him.

"This really isn't gonna make things better," he moaned, until he heard the door open again and listened to someone running around the corner. "You got it?"

"Yes, I do," Jessica confirmed as she came around with her Digivice in her hand. James took a look at it and compared it to his, and as Jessica said before, the only difference was the color scheme. The rest of the non-personalized features were the same. "I'm guessing you know how it works?"

"I'm getting the hang of these things." He grabbed her phone and held it next to his, flicking both of them on. Hers had the same three-dimensional display with the same applications, other than the games she downloaded. He found her 'Digimon Finder' application and immediately activated it and selected 'My Digimon,' only for it to respond with 'no results found.' "And this thing can't even find where your Digimon is, apparently."

"Then I wonder what the point of it is," the girl wondered as she watched with her hand on her chin. "It can't even tell you anything else?"

"I'll see." He restarted the application several times but kept getting the same response. "That's the only application I've used on my phone so far, but maybe there's something else we can use… Wait, what is a 'Digiport'?"

Jessica shrugged her shoulders to get a better look. On both their phones, he stopped to look at an app with a picture that resembled their phones with a flashing screen. The two of them stared at it confusedly until James tapped it on his phone, watching his screen go entirely white with a loading icon in the middle of it. Then a message displayed, telling them to 'please use a USB cable to connect to a computer.'

"I have no idea what this is," James commented nervously, "and I'm scared to even try it."

"It could be a lead, though. Besides, you know we're gonna end up trying it out sooner or later anyway, babe."

"True."

Jessica sighed.

"Let's just try it now before we wonder about it for the rest of the day. It can't be anything severe, right?" she reassured.

"I guess not. I mean, I don't see how a phone could do anything major."

James handed her phone back to her while flicking his screen off.

"But somehow I bet it involves Doru," he added as he stuffed the phone back into his pocket, "so we should probably have him around when we try it."

"You want to try bringing him into my house?!"

"No!" The boy shuffled around as he tried thinking about a computer they could use with Dorumon by their side without stirring up attention. "I was thinking about… God, where can we do this?"

He paced around again until he came up with an idea, whereby his face glowed and then fell again. Jessica caught this and nearly questioned him.

"I was gonna say the school library," he informed, "but getting him there… Hmmmm, that's a problem. But wait, isn't your computer a laptop? Can't you just bring it out, as well as your cable?"

"I could, I suppose," the girl mystically replied, "but gee, my family's gonna think I'm weird for bringing that out."

"Just tell them we're gonna go to my house to work on a project, and then we'll head to some other corner, plug it in, and check it out, and NO, it won't be anything funky like that!"

His girlfriend sent him a sly look while quietly laughing at the same time, and then his hand went to his face again.

'_This is just awkward,'_ he reinforced to himself. _'Hey, what if she made a move on ME? Whatever, let's not think about that. Well…'_

"Funny, babe, funny," she joked. "Anyway, it may be our best bet. I'll go fetch that and tell them our 'story.' Hopefully they'll buy it, but they trust us, so it shouldn't be a problem."

"Yeah, I know. And ya know what? I'll go in with you this time. Maybe it'll help if they actually see my face rather than just hear about me."

"Oh, it'll be fine James." She pushed him back gently. "It's better if you stay out here again and keep Doru, or whatever you call him, company." The boy let go of his tension and gently looked down at his girlfriend.

"Yeah, I guess so," he spoke. Then he called out, "Hey Doru! You still back there?!"

The tuft of fur sticking out from the bushes moved again, and out popped the dinosaur's head, who James whispered to get back down and used hand gestures to emphasize.

"Yeah, I'm here," the oblivious Digimon replied.

"GET BACK DOWN." The boy kept checking behind him to see who was watching, and to his relief, no one was, but he kept on telling the Digimon to hide anyway. Once he saw the Digimon couldn't understand him, he shook his head and ran past Jessica to him. She was left slightly bewildered, but chuckled in understanding. Then she told James she was heading back in.

"I'll let you know if I can go with you in a second," she let him know, but laughed even more as she watched her boyfriend struggled to push the Digimon's head down, while it struggled back in confusion. "Take care, boys!"

"Right-O," James acknowledged, then went back to shoving the dinosaur back down, away from sight.

"How much hiding do I have to do?!" Dorumon complained as he ruffled the bush's branches, detaching several of the leaves.

"I'm not sure, but doesn't the idea of all these people spotting and staring at you scare you!"

"Yeah, but now that I think about it, it can't be as bad as having to hide all my life!"

"Well, for the time being, 'tough love' is gonna kick in, cause I don't wanna stir up even more unnecessary crap into surrounding us!"

"But won't they know about me eventually anyway?!"

James instantly softened the pressure he was applying and looked into Dorumon's eyes with a deep gaze. It caused the dinosaur to do the same, resulting in them staring at each other again.

"If you got caught, we'd both be a news story," James informed, "and if we became a news story, my family, under their current emotions, would hate me even more! Trust me, I want them to get over this as soon as possible. That way, maybe we'll have a home we can happily go back to."

"BUT… Ugh."

Dorumon gave up resisting and fell deep within the bushes onto his back. James watched him fall with a guilty expression and began to seriously contemplate how he would make it up to him. The lone Digimon hated its life already, and he told himself it was always in his best interest to keep it happy. He didn't completely know why, but it was a feeling within him, something he had to fulfill.

"Again, I'm sorry, but…" he paused, as if waiting for the Dorumon to intervene.

Then he spun his body around suddenly and laid himself against the bush, appearing as drained as his Digimon partner.

"Ya know what? Until she comes back out, I give up too. I haven't gotten the sleep I wanted. This is all as fair to me as it is to you, trust me. Maybe I'll get two minutes worth, but I'll treasure it."

"Go ahead…whatever…" mumbled the careless Digimon.

And then James closed his eyes with a motionless Digimon behind him. He fell asleep, until Jessica came out again.

* * *

"Seriously, babe?!"

"Hey, I was tired the whole day! You knew that!"

"Except that I had to startle Dorumon to wake him up, which could've caused a ruckus!"

"Minor detail…"

The couple was walking along a walkway while Jessica carried her Mac laptop as Dorumon snuck himself through people's yards by dashing through their foliage and hiding behind their trees. It was a tactic he was naturally developing, and to the couple's relief, he was beginning to find it fun. He avoided sight from everything, and only a few people questioned what they heard. Whenever they did, both James and Jessica were quick to quench their curiosity by quickly doing something that made them appear as the source. Then the other person would walk away, going back to their daily business. They stayed clear of suspicion.

"Right, you're the one who's been harping on that! I had to make it look like you and I were _doing_ something there so that we wouldn't look like we were hiding anything. Seriously, these Digimon make weird noises when they wake up! It was hard trying to copy them. And thank GOD we got out in time before my family could inspect. Who knows what they would have done."

"Yeah, well… Damn, I'm tired."

"As am I, as am I…"

The trio approached a wide open park littered with trees and only a few tables placed throughout. They stopped to look at it once they arrived and scanned it to make sure no one was around to see Dorumon. The curious Digimon poked his head out from a bush to see where they were, and the couple backed up to cover him from sight.

"You think this is a good place?" James asked, leaning towards Jessica.

"It should work. It'll be easy to keep him hidden if we must. He can hide, or he can easily spot others. By the way…"

A pause took place, prompting James to speak.

"Huh?"

"Are we gonna have to do this for my Digimon when we find it? You know, always keep it hidden? Cause it's hard enough to do this for just one."

James stood straight up and suddenly went into a as quiet of a laughing fit as he could muster up, irritating his girlfriend into asking what was wrong.

"What's so funny about that?!"

"Not much. It's just that if anything, based on the attitude we saw, _it_ will be watching after you."

"Is that so…?" she queried, looking at him sideways.

"Yeah, definitely. You'll know whenever you meet it."

"_If_ I meet it."

"I doubt your phone would morph if there was no chance of you meeting it. Phones aren't that stupid."

"Don't even get me started…"

They looked around the entire park until they were sure no one was around. Once they determined it was safe, they told Dorumon it was okay to come out. The purple Digimon was more than enamored as it jumped out, eagerly looking around, but James told it to stay under control: they were there to do something, not to have fun.

"Let's go deeper inside and stop behind one of those trees. We should be harder to spot from behind one."

"I was thinking the same." The girl clenched more tightly onto her laptop. "Let's go!"

The trio ran inward and past several of the trees until they could barely see the neighborhood that surrounded them. They were enclosed by the branches, and the purple dinosaur tailed them. He was not sure of exactly why they were stopping within the park. All he was told and heard was that they wanted to use something called a 'Digiport,' a word which he knew sounded familiar.

'_I've…heard that before, but where? Oooofff, Renamon…'_

Meanwhile, all three of them came to a halt when James suggested for them to stop. At their spot, nothing else could be heard other than birds chirping, sounds of which alarmed Dorumon as he aggressively looked around for the source of the noises. He growled in anxiety, but James calmed him again.

"It's just birds, Doru. They won't do anything to us."

"You sure?" he growled again.

"I live around here, I know. The worst thing that's happened was when one flew right by me and nearly poked my eye out."

The Digimon's tension flared again, this time much more aggressive. James cursed to himself.

"It was accidental, and that's only happened once. They weren't trying to hurt me. Anyway, let's settle down here. I still have the cable you gave me, babe."

"Good. Let's get this on, then."

The two of them sat down while Dorumon patrolled around them, listening for any threats. In a native setting, his instincts kicked in. It was his nature to protect the others around him. He never made a loud enough sound, but the couple kept a careful eye on him anyway. There was the possibility that someone could still come around, and if he was loud enough, they'd possibly feel intrigued to.

As they did this, Jessica opened up her laptop while James used the USB cable to connect it with his Digivice. He searched for the Digiport application and opened it up again, watching as the screen turned white and he saw the same message, which quickly disappeared this time. It went back to the white screen, where he noticed that it remained like that, leaving him confused again.

"What the heck?" James groaned frustratedly.

"What's wrong?"

Then he turned the phone to show it to her. She gazed at the phone and contorted her face.

"It's not doing anything else."

"Well that's weird. Hopefully we didn't- WAIT, it's saying something now!"

"It is?"

The boy turned the phone back around to look at the screen himself, and on it was another message: "Please bring your Digimon next to you before you proceed."

"Hey Doru! We need you over here for a sec," he called out. The agitated Digimon took a moment to leave the natural sounds of the park alone, but eventually jogged back to James's side. He dropped his temper and looked at the screen his partner was trying to show him. The Digivice detected Dorumon's presence as the second message disappeared.

And Jessica's laptop's screen glowed as bright as it could.

"What the-?!" Jessica screamed as she watched her computer light up, sitting completely still. "James, what's it doing to my laptop?!"

"I don't know," he responded, equally as surprised. All three of them shielded their eyes with their paws or hands from the light, waiting for it to subdue, and hoping that it actually would. The light died down after a moment, and as soon as they uncovered themselves, they saw a software on the screen that was completely unfamiliar to them. Its format resembled that of a video-editing software with a still picture in the upper right corner that absorbed nearly a quarter of the screen and with several empty black boxes around the sides of it. The picture showed a darkly lit forest, one of which didn't look familiar to them, and directly on top of it read the words 'Digiport Open'. James's Digivice buzzed again to distract him, with the same electronic voice from before speaking again.

"Welcome to the Digiport software," it greeted. He looked at his own screen and noticed that he saw a window familiar to what was on Jessica's laptop. The picture in the corner was there, but the arrangement of the boxes was different. On top of that, there were no words. "This software can only be actively used on a computer device. What you are seeing on your screen now is only the beginning segment of a tutorial service since you have now hooked up your Digivice to a computer and activated this application. The Digiport application is your gateway to and from the Digital World, the world of which your Digimon is from. However, before we can teach you how to manually use it, we will commence a test run, and then break down the process once you are in the Digital World. We are confident that, as a Digidestined, along with your Digital partner and whoever you choose to bring with you, will enjoy this ride, and feel that it would be best to give you a visual and personal experience first. Thank you, and we will speak to you again on the other side!"

Then the voice cut off, and both James and Jessica stared at each other in dread. They were only able to manage a few curse words before they could feel something pulling away at their bodies, as well as Dorumon's, who recalled exactly what a Digiport was at the last second.

'_Oh wait… Renamon took me through something like this… AAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!'_

And then the three of them were gone, last heard screaming before their skin, hair, and clothes turned white as in they were sucked into the picture in the computer screen like vapor. The laptop itself stayed still, and a few seconds later, the computer was all that was left. The only sound that could still be heard was the birds chirping, whose calls only grew louder once they sensed that the Digimon was gone, as well as the humans who were with it.


End file.
